


i see your face (in every star)

by argenttmccall



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Bella POV, Edward POV, F/M, Family Feels, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Minor Jacob Black/Seth Clearwater, Modern Retelling, POV Alternating, POV Second Person, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2018-08-17 09:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8138230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argenttmccall/pseuds/argenttmccall
Summary: girl meets boy. boy meets girl. they fall in love. real love, like, heart-pounding, soulmates love. no stalking or unhealthy co-dependency required. ORbella and edward are Normal Teenagers! (even if one of them is still a vampire) (they make it work, somehow)





	1. girl meets boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (new) girl rolls into town, meets the resident "mysterious" boy, is smitten (it doesn't take that long, really)

Bella steps out of the jeep she's been driving for the last day or so and cracks her back, relishing the feeling. She'd tried to take as few breaks in between driving as possible, prefering to just tough it out until she got to Forks.

“You know, we would have bought you a plane ticket,” Charlie says from the doorstep of his house.

Or, her house. Their house. That's gonna take some getting used to.

“I know,” she says with a wry grin, straightening from her stretch to get the circulation back into her back and legs. It's then that she gets her first good look at Charlie after almost a year apart. He looks more worn around the edges, she thinks, with a bit more gray in his hair but he still has his crinkly eyed smile that he saves just for her.

“I worked hard to buy my car, I wasn't about to leave her behind,” she says with an affectionate pat to the hood of the jeep.

Charlie merely snorts and shakes his head, but comes over to pull her into a hug. Bella sinks into it gratefully, having just realized how much she's missed her dad.

“It's good to see you, dad.”

“Good to see you too, kid.”

He releases her and wordlessly holds out his hand for her bags. She smirks but hands them to him anyway, and follows him into the house.

It honestly hasn't changed at all as far as Bella remembers. Charlie isn't one for drastic remodeling anyway, but literally everything looks the exact same as when she was here a few years ago.

“Are you okay with it if I redecorate?” she announces as they go into her room.

“Sure, it's your room.”

“I meant the house.”

Charlie looks over with a raised brow. “The house? Like what?”

Bella throws her hands around. “Like everything! We can paint the walls, maybe some new furniture. It can be a bonding thing!”

“A bonding thing,” Charlie says skeptically. 

“Stop repeating what I say, dad,” she says patiently, hands on her hips. “And yes! It'll be fun!”

“Is this another phase? Because last time-”

“Please don't bring that up, it's not going to happen again,” Bella interrupts, face already going red in embarrassment.

“...As long as we're clear on that,” Charlie continues, “I'm fine with whatever you want to do.” He sets her bags down on her bed. “Just don't go too overboard.”

“Scout’s honor,” Bella promises, raising her hand in a salute.

“You were never a scout,” Charlie calls over his shoulder as he walks away, Bella’s laugh echoing after him.

 

* * *

  

Bella had calculated her arrival in Forks for about a week before school was scheduled to start. Getting used to living with Charlie again is a bit of a process, but eventually they get used to each other.

Charlie gets up at 5:30 to get ready for work, and Bella usually rolls out of bed at 6:30 to make them breakfast and send him off. She’d figured that she needed to get used to waking up at the most ungodly hour if she was going to be on time for her first day at Forks High.

Bella never really spends much time reflecting on her parent’s divorce, but when she does she is usually grateful that because of it she's never had to go to school in Forks. There is a grand total of one high school for the entire town, not counting the school for the kids on the La Push reservation. It was never a secret that Bella was, for the first time, coming to live with her father for more than a summer so she's pretty convinced that every living body in that building knows she's coming.

It's not that she's so egotistical that she thinks her blessed arrival is the best thing to happen to these people; more like this town is so small and honestly so boring that there probably isn't much else to talk about.

“Maybe I should pin a red A on my clothes, give ‘em something to really talk about,” Bella muses over her coffee.

“No,” Charlie says flatly.

“Oh c’mon, it'll be funny!”

“It will not. But I mean, if you really want to cause a scene, I can just drop you off in the cruiser with the lights and everything,” Charlie says innocently as he gets up from the kitchen table.

“You're funny,” Bella deadpans. “And that stopped being cool when I was, like, 7.”

“It's too early to be breaking my heart like that, Bells.”

“Go to work, old man,” Bella says fondly, accepting a kiss on the cheek before Charlie walks out the door.

Left sitting alone, Bella lets her smile slip away as she sighs deeply. She still misses Phoenix with an ache in her chest. Misses the dry heat and blue skies and the feeling of the sun on her skin. Misses the freedom of constantly finding new places and surprises in a beautiful city. Misses her mother so fiercely that it physically hurts. She even misses Phil, to her surprise.

Forks...is the exact opposite. The rain and clouds are a constant presence in this little town. In the single week that Bella’s been here, she's already reacquainted herself with the staples of the community. The only place she hasn't been to yet is La Push, but that's just because she's saving that trip for a good day. Bella hasn't really had time to go to Port Angeles either, but it's only a matter of time. Charlie is the one bright spot in her life, but even he isn't enough to break through the monotony.

“I'm bored,” Bella announces to the kitchen, not surprised when she doesn't get a response back. She sighs again, and gets up to get ready for school.

 

* * *

 

It's been a total of 5 minutes in this high school and Bella already feels claustrophobic. Everyone else here is content to just stare at her and talk about her with other people, and not one has actually bothered to come up and introduce themselves.

She thinks the worst part of being a new kid is not knowing where anything is and having to stare at the school map like an idiot.

“Where the fuck are you?” Bella mutters under her breath, willing the paper in her hand to either start blaring gps directions or set itself on fire.

“Um. Did you need some help?” a small voice comes from behind her. Bella turns to see a tall girl peering at her uncertainly, clutching the books in her hand almost like a shield.

“Oh, yeah please. I'm looking for the English 11 classroom?” Bella asks, feeling a rush of gratitude for the girl standing in front of her.

“It's down a couple of hallways. I'm actually headed there too, if you want to come with?” the girl asks hesitantly, as if she thinks Bella's about to say no.

“Yes, please! Oh, I'm Bella,” she says with a grin.

“Angela,” the other girl says quietly with a small smile. The girls start to walk together in a companionable silence, to Bella’s immense relief. That lasts as long as it takes them to get to the classroom.

“Ah...I should probably mention…um,” Angela starts just as Bella is reaching to open the door.

“Hmm? What's up?”

“Well...a lot of people know you. Your name, I mean. It's just, people talk, y’know?” Angela says, turning red even as she speaks.

Suddenly, Bella gets it; Angela’s warning her about the reception she's probably about to get. She doesn't know the first thing about this girl other than her name and that she's very shy, but right then Bella feels an instant attachment to her for looking out for a perfect stranger.

“Hey. Thank you,” Bella says, giving Angela her warmest smile. “To be perfectly honest, it's what I've been expecting all morning; I've already braced myself,” she says with a wink. That startles a laugh out of Angela as Bella opens the door.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, if I left right now, do you think anyone would notice?” Bella whispers to Angela a few hours later as they're heading to lunch.

They're not alone; Bella has a laundry list of new names and faces in her mind that she's been struggling to keep up with. Jessica’s been chatting with her ever since the bell rang; Bella tuned her out a while ago. Mike, Eric, and Tyler are nice enough guys, although the constant staring from all of them has been creeping her out a little. Lauren’s kinda bitchy but she's Jessica’s and Tyler’s friend so she's there too. Angela, god bless her soul, has been nothing but kind and patient as she's helped Bella get to all her other classes and showing her around the school.

“I think someone would notice,” Angela murmurs back with a quick smile. Bella sighs as they enter the cafeteria, already filling up with other students.

The staring here continues as it's been all day. Bella’s been taking to holding impromptu staring contests with whoever she comes into eye contact with; spoiler alert, she's been winning all of them.

She and her new groupies (Angela’s the only person she can even remotely call a friend at this point) start to cross over to the other side of the cafeteria, the boys hellbent on getting their food while Lauren and Jessica are on the lookout for a table.

And that's when she spots them.

Honestly, the only reasons why they catch her attention are because:

  1. They're the only people in the cafeteria that aren't bothering to gawk at her or the groupies.
  2. They're at a table at the far end in a corner; it's the type of table that Bella mentally calls the Loner Goth table, except,
  3. There are 5 of them, and none of them look as if they're goth at all.



They're all the kind of beautiful that makes even the most successful and gorgeous models on earth look like ancient hags, Bella thinks.

“Oh, don't bother,” Lauren sneers suddenly. She and Jessica have finally picked out a table to their liking, and as Bella sits with the rest of them she pulls out a sandwich and a water bottle from her bag.

“Don't bother with what?” Bella asks amusedly. Lauren scoffs.

“I saw you looking over at the Cullens.”

“Hmm? Oh, you mean the table full of America’s Next Top Models over there?” Bella quips, and she swears that she can see one of them look their way suddenly out of the corner of her eye. Mike laughs way too hard at her little joke, and Bella has to repress the urge to roll her eyes.

Lauren doesn't bother to hide her disdain. “Listen, don't get your hopes up about any of them, they're all in relationships with each other. I mean, except for Edward Cullen, but he doesn't date anyone,” she says haughtily, and Bella really has to resist the urge to laugh as the pieces click in her mind.

“I think I'll survive,” Bella says with a smile. She turns her head to look at the Cullens, and that's when she catches his eye.

It's kind of obvious just by looking at the table to see who's dating who. The blonde bombshell with the dude who looks like he's way into weightlifting; the girl who looks like a pixie princess with her short hair and gorgeous cheekbones and the guy who looks like she's the only one keeping him from dying of boredom. It's in their body language, even if it's not overtly affectionate. The way they lean into each other, bodies tilted toward their other half, attuned to each other's presence.

But not him.

It almost looks like she's just caught him glancing this way, and Bella expects him to hastily look away like everyone else she's caught staring at her all day. He doesn't. He's not smiling, but he's not frowning either. Honestly, he looks curious, like she's something he's never seen before. Which is a stupid thought, considering the size of the female population in this school that probably wants his dick, Bella thinks.

“Well I'm just letting you know so you don't get any ideas,” Lauren says impatiently.

“Why Lauren, you almost sound like you're speaking from personal experience,” Bella says dryly, and that's when she she sees it.

It happens so fast she's not sure if it actually happened but Bella swears she saw Edward Cullen smile before turning away.

And really, he could have been smiling at anything. Maybe something one of his siblings said, or even a stray thought. But...no, Bella's pretty sure he smiled in response to what she said. Which is impossible, of course, because they're sitting on opposite ends of a very full and noisy cafeteria.

Bella dismisses the moment as ridiculous and turns her full attention back to Lauren and the groupies. Lauren looks so mad she's practically red in the face, while Angela and Eric are trying not to laugh.

“What's it to you, anyway,” Lauren hisses, and that's when Bella really decides to mess with her.

“I mean, there's no way that Edward Cullen would be dumb enough to reject you, Lauren. I mean, you're so sweet and amazing and super helpful. Why wouldn't he go out with you?” Bella says in a false innocence, making her eyes as wide as they can get.

By now, the other groupies are paying attention as well; Angela's put her head down on her arms, her shoulders shaking silently with laughter. Eric’s biting down hard on his lip and Mike’s grin is ridiculously big. Tyler and Jessica are looking uncertainly between Lauren and Bella, confused as to what Bella's doing.

Lauren honestly looks like she can't decide whether Bella's being serious or not. “...Yeah, you're right. I mean, I'm amazing, right?!”

“Absolutely,” Bella says in a soothing voice. “And honestly, there isn't a guy here who deserves you.”

Lauren nods feverently, apparently decided that Bella's being serious. The rest of the groupies, meanwhile, are all torn between choking on their laughter or gazing in sheer awe that Bella managed to trick Lauren so easily.

Bella takes a chance and glances back at the Cullen’s table. Edward, she is astonished to see, is grinning down at the table as his siblings look at him with varied levels of exasperation and humor.

 _He can hear me_ , Bella thinks. The thought is so far fetched and ridiculous, but it's there. Bella being Bella, then does the most audacious thing she can think of. She waits for Edward to glance her way before winking at him knowingly.

It's completely worth it for the look of surprise that flickers in his eyes before it's quickly hidden.

 _He knows that I know_. Bella thinks in amazement. She spends the rest of the lunch period tuned out from the groupies, examining that moment over and over in her memory.

 

* * *

 

When the bell rings, she obediently packs up her stuff and follows Mike to their next class, her mind still a million miles away. It's not until they get to the science classroom that Bella snaps back to reality.

“Welcome to Forks, Ms. Swan,” the teacher says. “You'll be sitting at the table over there, with Mr. Cullen.”

And lo and behold, Edward Cullen is her science partner. Bella nearly laughs out loud, because this day just keeps getting weirder. Mike looks like he's on the verge of homicide as he stalks over to his table on the far side of the room.

Bella makes it to the table, and gets her first look at Edward up close. Her first thought is that she feels kinda bad for teasing Lauren so much because damn he is beautiful.

“Mind if I sit?” Bella murmurs. Edward doesn't say anything, merely moves his stuff to make room for her, studiously avoiding eye contact. She sits, and immediately hates the sudden feeling of anticipation that hits her.

Because for all of her bravado and all the teasing in the cafeteria, Bella doesn't want this. She doesn't want to be attracted to this total stranger, no matter how hot he is. She came to Forks with the intention of spending some time with Charlie, and finishing her time in high school here to let Renee and Phil have a life of their own, and then getting the fuck out. She wants to go to school, travel the country, just her and her jeep.

And this, this feeling that's creeping into her blood and bones, it's dangerous.

The class has started, and Bella resolves to do her best to ignore anything to do with Edward Cullen.

So of course, that resolve goes out the window about 10 minutes into the class when they're all assigned a group project, and Bella comes to terms with the fact that she actually has to work with her science partner. What a novel concept.

Edward still hasn't said a single word to her, or to anyone, in fact. He's been staring straight ahead, a blank expression on his face, his hands tightly laced together on the table.

The assignment is something to do with cells, and it's becoming increasingly obvious that Edward’s just gonna sit there like a statue. So Bella does what Bella usually does, which is to Fake It Til You Make It.

“Alright, cells! This is exciting!” Bella says, talking at Edward rather than to him because honestly, she might have better luck getting a reaction out of an actual wall.

It takes a good 20 minutes of Bella animatedly doing the assignment, flipping through her textbook while talking through the problems, before Edward starts to thaw from his self imposed frozen state.

“...I'm not seeing the answer here, maybe it's in the glossary,” Bella’s saying, mostly to herself at this point, as she's given up on getting a response from him.

“Try Chapter 3,” Edward says softly all of a sudden, making Bella look up in surprise. He's not looking at her, exactly, but at the book in her hands.

“...Ah, sure, okay,” Bella says hesitantly. She flips to the chapter and finds the correct answer.

From then on, it goes a little more smoothly; Edward at least makes an attempt to help by giving her different chapters or page numbers for Bella to look for. He doesn’t look up at her, and he’s careful to keep his distance, but Bella considers it a breakthrough nonetheless. She’s careful not to push him too much, makes herself keep talking enough for the both of them before the silence can get too awkward. Finally, they finish the assignment just as the bell rings to signal the end of the day. 

"Hey, um. Thank you. For your help, i mean," Bella says as she packs her things up, rummaging in her bag to make sure she has everything. She's not expecting it when she looks up again suddenly to see Edward staring straight at her, and it's like nothing she's ever felt before. 

He's got molten golden eyes, a beautiful color that Bella's never even seen before. Edward's staring at her with intent, almost like he's committing her face to memory, and Bella can't even bring herself to breathe, much less look away.

"You're welcome, Bella," Edward says lowly in a velvet smooth voice, and just hearing him say her name lights Bella up like a firework. They stare at each other for another minute, ignoring the commotion around them as everyone else files out of the room. Finally, Edward closes his eyes briefly before standing up in a fluid motion and walking out the door without a backward glance.

Bella lets out a shaky breath and slowly lets her head fall until it rests on the cool tabletop, trying to calm her suddenly racing heart. Her thoughts are jumbled completely, not a single coherent thought making its way to the front, until:

_This is going to be a problem,_

and then,

_How did he know my name?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, enjoy the ride!


	2. boy meets girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> resident "mysterious" boy meets new girl, is also smitten (and conflicted). luckily, Queen Esme is there to help talk some sense into him.

“My head hurts,” Edward announces, letting his head drop onto his folded arms. Alice snickers while Rosalie just rolls her eyes.

“We’re already dead, stupid. We can’t get headaches,” she snips as she pulls out her compact to refresh her lipstick. Jasper’s ignoring all of them, as per usual, preferring to stare at either Alice or the ceiling. Emmett’s got his headphones in, head bopping to the beat as he swings an arm around Rosalie.

“They just won’t stop thinking about her,” Edward moans tragically, ignoring Rosalie as he tries and fails miserably to tune out the voices in his head. Being a mind reader sucks hard, no matter what anyone thinks (ha). And being a mind reader while being stuck in a high school full of hormonal teenagers for 8 hours a day is a special kind of torture.

Today is no exception; the only difference is there’s a new character playing the leading lady in all of these little mental fantasies. Edward kind of feels bad for the new girl, because if she only knew what these disgusting creatures are imagining with her he thinks she’d run screaming from the building.

He knows her name is Isabella Swan, but that she prefers to be called Bella, judging from the numerous introductions she’s had to go through just today. He’s seen her from so many different perspectives, and honestly, she looks like any other teenage girl. Edward doesn’t get why so many of the guys are already fixated on her like she’s a prize to be won.

“I like her outfit,” Alice says suddenly, which is how Edward now knows that the object of everyone else’s affection is in the cafeteria. He sighs and lifts his head up to get a look at her that isn’t tainted by a mind full of lust and hormones.

“Hey, if I left right now, do you think anyone would notice?” he can hear her say to Angela Weber, and somehow Edward’s not surprised to see her flanked by Mike Newton and the rest of Forks’ resident idiots.

She’s cute, Edward thinks absently. The curve of her nose, the shape of her lips, the dark brown hair tumbling over her shoulder. Angela’s mumbled reply is lost in another wave of thoughts from the rest of the Forks High student population as they realize the new girl is in their midst.

“Hmpf. These children get so excited over a new toy,” Rosalie says in disgust, not bothering to look in the new girl’s direction. Idly, she plucks one of Emmett’s earbuds from him and puts it into her own ear.

Edward sighs again and resorts to counting the ceiling tiles to try and drown out the noise. It works for a little bit, until he hears Lauren Mallory say: “I saw you looking over at the Cullens.”

“Oh, here we go again,” Emmett says with a grin. “Watch out for the big bad Cullens. They’re meanies and they don’t like people.”

“You’re not wrong,” Jasper sighs quietly. Edward, meanwhile, is expecting a hushed conversation about the complete rundown of their history (as far as the humans know, anyway). How they don’t associate with anyone unless absolutely necessary, the weird relationships between them that everyone else thinks is borderline incestuous. It gets a little boring, to be honest.

“Oh, you mean the table full of America’s Next Top Models over there?” he hears her say and he can’t help but shoot a quick glance in her direction before turning back to his siblings. Alice outright laughs at the response and Emmett grins in delight.

“Oh, she’s a funny one,” he says, and Rosalie punches him lightly in the arm.

“She’s trying not to laugh at Lauren,” Jasper says, nodding in faint approval.

“I think I’ll survive,” Edward hears, and he can’t help himself now when he looks back up. Only to see her looking right back at him. She’s got beautiful light brown eyes, and right now they’re full of mirth at the entire situation. He doesn’t bother to look away now that she’s caught him looking, and he’s slightly amazed that she maintains eye contact (usually the children here get too scared to keep looking).

“Well I'm just letting you know so you don't get any ideas,” he hears Lauren say, and Edward watches the fastest smile flit across Bella’s lips before she says,  
“Why Lauren, you almost sound like you're speaking from personal experience.”

And he can’t help but smile.

Which, of course, is a mistake seeing as Bella hasn’t taken her eyes off of him.

He looks away quickly (but not too quickly, he has to remind himself) but the damage is done.

“She saw you,” Rosalie hisses at him, and it’s only then that Edward realizes his siblings have all been staring at him.

“No she didn’t,” he says smoothly, ignoring the knowing look in Alice’s eyes. He resolutely decides to ignore Bella, for the sake of his (and honestly Rosalie’s) sanity.

“What's it to you, anyway,” he hears Lauren say.

“I mean, there's no way that Edward Cullen would be dumb enough to reject you, Lauren. I mean, you're so sweet and amazing and super helpful. Why wouldn't he go out with you?” he hears Bella say as Edward tries to avoid choking on his own tongue.

“She’s kidding right?” Edward asks desperately. Emmett looks like he’s about to go over and adopt Bella right now, and even Rosalie’s lost the sour look on her face.

“Yeah, you're right. I mean, I'm amazing, right?!” Lauren finally replies, and Edward just shakes his head, staring at the tabletop just to concentrate on a trivial conversation that he shouldn’t even care about.

“Absolutely,” Bella says in a soothing voice. “And honestly, there isn't a guy here who deserves you.”

Edward manages to not laugh, just barely.

“I like her already,” Alice murmurs.

“She’s not terrible,” Rosalie says grudgingly, and they may as well be best friends after that, Edward thinks.

He breaks his own promise just to chance one more look at Bella, only to see her already looking at him like she’s waiting for something.

Then she winks at him.

He can’t hide the surprise on his face fast enough before turning his face back towards the tabletop; he can almost feel the waves of disapproval radiating off of Rosalie.

“I mean, you gotta admit, the girl’s got some stones,” Emmett chuckles.

“Shut up,” Edward sighs. He blames himself, obviously, for not being careful enough. She’d seen his reactions to her conversation with Lauren. She knows that somehow, he was able to hear that conversation from the opposite end of the cafeteria.

“It’ll be alright, Edward,” Alice says softly to him suddenly. He doesn’t look up, merely taking solace from her comfort.

“Are you sure?” he asks, which is a stupid question to ask to someone who can see the future, but apparently it’s becoming a trend with Edward today.

“Positive. Just go to class. It’ll be okay,” she gives his arm a light squeeze as the bell rings. He and his siblings go their separate ways as he makes his way to the science classroom.

Edward settles in with a notebook and a pen, aimlessly sketching, when Bella Swan walks into the classroom. Then, she’s assigned as his new lab partner and Edward vows to get his revenge on the universe, one way or another.

“Mind if I sit?” she asks quietly, sounding almost like a completely different person now than when she was talking to Lauren. He moves his stuff to make room for her, forcing himself to not look in her direction. She’s just a human, for the love of God. Edward shouldn’t be having this much trouble over one insignificant human.

Except she doesn’t feel insignificant.

He can hear her heart start to beat faster, and he can hear every breath that passes through her lips. He can smell her strawberry shampoo and the clean scent of her body and her blood. He can feel the tension coming off her body, and kind of hates himself for wanting to soothe her. Edward knows he’s being rude as all hell, but it’s for the best. This stupid attraction he’s feeling will pass. He just needs to survive the class period.

The teacher announces a group project for the day, and Bella surprises Edward by tackling it head on with or without his help. She tries to keep him included by continuing to talk to him about the project, and he feels bad for not helping her out. He’s about to turn to her and make a proper introduction when it hits him.

He can’t hear her thoughts.

Differentiating between spoken word and inner thoughts has never really been a problem for Edward; the thoughts tend to be things that wouldn’t be said aloud normally. But as Bella continues to talk, Edward realizes that that’s all he can hear. Her spoken word.

“Try Chapter 6,” he says suddenly, as a test. And sure enough, she’s stopped talking and...that’s it. Silence.

“Okay,” she finally says. The tension she’s been carrying eases little by little after that, and Edward thinks it’s slightly ridiculous how relieved it makes him feel. He offers her various page numbers to try and continue to help her with the project, all while marveling at the fact that he can’t fucking hear her thoughts. If he were still human, he might be crying tears of joy. Obviously, he can still hear everyone else around them, but if he focuses hard enough on her he can kind of dull the noise.

Edward lets Bella’s voice wash over him as he chases after that elusive quietness of her mind. She doesn’t try to raise her voice over the noise of the other students, for which he’s grateful. It’s pitched a little lower than what he’s accustomed to hearing from other girls like Jessica or Mallory. There’s also a slight rasp to her voice, so faint that he’s not sure that any human could hear it. It’s soothing to listen to, even as she talks about cells and science. Before he knows it, he’s throwing out page numbers automatically, falling into a lull as he concentrates on Bella alone.

And then the bell rings.

Edward sighs quietly as Bella begins to pack up her things. He hadn’t meant to lose himself so completely, and now feels vaguely guilty for it. Edward doesn’t know this girl, and she doesn’t know him. She doesn’t know what he is.

"Hey, um. Thank you. For your help, I mean," Bella says as she’s finishing up packing her things. She sounds so hesitant now, as if she’s afraid to disturb him too much. Edward can’t handle that, can’t handle the inexplicable kindness she’s shown him today by treating him no different than any of her peers. Everyone else in this school keeps their distance from him and his family, which honestly is how they all prefer it. And Edward loves his family, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel a sort of hollow ache sometimes as he watches Alice and Jasper, and Rose and Emmett.

Edward decides to indulge himself just once, and turns to look at Bella Swan. She’s still looking into her bag, her long brown hair thrown carelessly over one shoulder. She’s got a faint flush on her cheeks, and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth. Up close like this, even Edward can admit to himself that she is beautiful. He’s transfixed with watching her closely, that it takes him by surprise when her gaze suddenly swings up to meet his.

Edward vaguely hears her breath catch and her pulse begin to quicken. He is much more interested in how clear her eyes are; there is no deception or ulterior motive hidden behind them. Honestly, she looks just as conflicted as he feels. He sees her tongue dart out quickly to moisten her lips, and Edward can’t help his involuntary swallow.

“You’re welcome, Bella,” he says lowly, and the way her eyes flutter at the sound of her name should not affect him as much as it does. Edward gives himself another 60 seconds to just look at her as she gazes back, before he closes his eyes. He keeps them closed as he gets up and walks away, not trusting himself to leave if he opens his eyes and sees her once more.

As the rest of the students head towards the parking lot, he walks towards the woods surrounding the school.

“I’m going to run home today,” Edward says quietly, waiting for acknowledgement from his siblings as they head to their cars before taking off.

 

* * *

 

Edward gets home and finds Esme tending to her garden in the back.

“Would you like some help?” he asks. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail today, and her skin glows faintly as she looks up at him from her kneeling in the ground.

“Sure,” Esme says with a smile. Edward smiles back before dropping to his knees beside her. They work in silence together for a few minutes, until finally Edward can let go of the tension he’s been carrying around since he left the school. Esme, bless her, doesn’t say a word. She is merely content to work silently and calmly, waiting for him to be the first to speak.

“I met someone today,” he starts. Esme hums to let him know she’s listening.

“A new girl. Her name is…Bella,” Edward says her name with a sigh. He can see Esme smile out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s she like?” Esme asks as she works. Edward takes a minute to think about his response.

“She’s funny,” he says finally. “She seems outgoing, and also kind. She’s smart, too, for a…” Edward stops himself.

“For a human?” Esme prods gently. Edward closes his eyes, and yet all he can see is Bella gazing back at him.

“Oh Edward,” Esme sighs. He can feel her rest her head on his shoulder. “You really like this girl, don’t you?”

“...Yes,” he whispers miserably. Esme folds one of his hands into hers.

“Then what’s the problem?” she asks. Edward pulls back just to look at her incredulously. He can see that Esme’s eyes have darkened; she and Carlisle will have to go hunting soon. Thankfully, he’d recently been up north with Alice and Jasper just last week.

“The problem is that I’m a vampire! What business do I have with an innocent human like that?” Edward says. “If she finds out what I am, she’ll hate me!”

Esme purses her lips, and Edward can see she’s trying to choose her words carefully.

“I think, my dearest, that you’re being slightly melodramatic.”

Edward’s jaw drops, as Esme giggles at his expression. “Let me finish!”

“You are hypothesizing about events that may or may not occur, and blowing them a bit out of proportion. Are you going to deny yourself a potential future of happiness with this girl just because something might happen? And who are you to take that decision from her?” Esme says firmly, and Edward is taken aback by the quiet strength in her voice. They tend to forget that for all of Esme’s gentleness, she has strength in her own right.

“But if I….pursue Bella,” Edward says, not daring to even think about what that would be like, “she would have to be told about me. About us.”

“And we will cross that bridge when we get there,” Esme says firmly. She smiles and squeezes his hand. “Sweetheart, we love you and we want you to be happy. You won’t know if things will work out with Bella until you try. If they don’t, then that’s fine. If they do, we will always support you.”

Even after all this time with his family, Edward still sometimes finds himself surprised at the depth of character and strength within each one. He would absolutely do anything to protect and love his family, and yet it still surprises him when they are willing to do the same for him.

“Thank you, Esme,” he breathes. Esme smiles brightly back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esme Cullen was probably my favorite character from the entire series, bless her. 
> 
> Thank you for the comments and kudos, I really appreciate it!


	3. girl freaks the hell out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> girl makes a stupid choice and instantly regrets it; boy is there to help. then, girl has a revelation (she's not stupid, after all).

Bella wakes up the next morning to sunshine filtering in through her window, and instantly has to suppress the urge to jump out of bed just to go dig out her favorite shorts.

She says as much to Charlie, later, as they sit together in the kitchen. “Sunshine doesn’t necessarily equate to warm weather, Bells,” he says as Bella sticks her tongue out at him.

“I know,” she sighs. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”

“She can,” Charlie nods sagely. They sit in silence for a bit, Charlie munching on some toast as Bella stares into her coffee cup.

“Something on your mind?” Charlie says, interrupting her thoughts. Bella looks up and grins sheepishly; “That obvious?”

“Nah. I just know you, is all. Is there something wrong at school?”

“No, not at all. Just curious about something. Or someone. Multiple someones, I mean!” Bella knows she’s rambling, but after her first day yesterday, she’s been slightly on edge. She spent the night dreaming about golden eyes and copper hair, much to her embarrassment.

“Go on,” Charlie says with a wry smile.

“Ah...it’s about the Cullen family, actually? They just seem kind of...odd, I guess?” Bella says slowly, praying to God to not start turning red in front of her own father.

Charlie frowns at her. “Those kids at school haven’t been saying anything bad about them, have they? Because the Cullens don’t deserve the kind of scrutiny that they get.”

Bella blinks in surprise at him. “That...was a very passionate response, dad. Tell me how you really feel, huh.”

He sighs ruefully. “Sorry. I’ve just seen people all over town wary of them, and for no reason. Honestly, that hospital wouldn’t be as great and efficient if it weren’t for Carlisle. And as long as they’ve been here, those kids have never gotten into any trouble. Can’t say the same for some other people,” Charlie says. Bella raises her eyebrow.

“Carlisle...that’s their father?”

“Adoptive father. He and his wife, Esme, are actually pretty young, maybe not even in their 30’s yet. They adopted all those kids and took them all in. Moved down here from...Alaska, I think?”

“Huh, interesting,” Bella murmurs, back to staring into her coffee cup.

“Any particular reason why you’re so interested in them?” Charlie asks offhandedly. Bella’s head whips up so fast she can feel a twinge in her neck.

“No! No, sorry, I just...one of them is my lab partner for the year,” she stammers out, growing increasingly wary at the way Charlie is looking at her.

“Alice?” he asks, and Bella looks at him blankly. “The short girl, with dark hair?”

“Oh! Uh, no. Edward, actually,” Bella says, and damn, now she can feel herself blushing just at the sound of his name. Stupid traitorous face.

“Mmm,” is all Charlie says, thank God. He’s still looking pretty closely at her, so Bella decides that now is a great time to go finish getting ready for school.

* * *

“Thank god it’s Friday,” Mike says happily, stretching his arms above his head. He, Angela, Jessica, and Bella are walking towards their next class, already halfway done with the day.

“It’s only the second day of school,” Bella feels obligated to point out. Angela giggles as Mike shrugs at her. “It’s been a long two days,” he says.

Here at Forks High, instead of having all their classes in one building, there are multiple smaller buildings spread out similar to a college campus. It’s a little weird, Bella thinks, but at least it allows them to get some fresh air in between classes. The sun was still shining as she’d left the house this morning, so even though the jeans and boots are still on, Bella had indulged herself a bit with just a long sleeve cotton shirt, instead of the 15 layers of clothes that is customary here.

The sun disappeared a while ago, to be replaced my darker, more ominous looking clouds. Bella is not in any way regretting her decision at all.

“Are you okay?” Angela asks her in concern.

“I’m fine! T-totally peachy,” Bella says with a slightly manic grin, hunching down even further into herself as the wind blows harder.

“Why didn’t you bring a coat today?” Jessica asks.

“Oh, you know. It’s a beautiful day! Gotta take advantage of it!” Bella says.

“It  _ was _ a beautiful day,” Mike says with a grin. “Do you want to borrow my coat?”

“No, that’s okay, thanks. I’m totally fine!” she says determinedly.

Then she feels the first drop of water on her face.

“Oh no,” Bella whispers.

“Come on, we gotta go!” Mike says loudly as the torrential downpour rains hell upon them all. Angela, bless her, tries to share her coat with Bella as they book it to the next building.

They make it in one piece thankfully. Bella’s boots are slip resistant, which is probably the only reason she doesn’t faceplant in the classroom. As it is, she has to grab Angela’s arm quickly so that the poor girl doesn’t slip and fall.

“Thanks” Angela murmurs, shaking water out of her hair.

“Thank you for trying to share your coat,” Bella smiles at her. With a sigh, she looks down at herself. Her boots are muddy, her clothes are soaked, and her hair feels like it’s gone through a windstorm. Even Mike’s looking pitifully at her, so Bella knows she looks like a wreck, and feels like she’s one cough away from pneumonia.

That feeling only gets worse when she finally looks up to survey the half-full classroom, and sees both Edward and Alice Cullen sitting in the back of the classroom.

Mike and Jessica automatically head to a couple of desks near the middle to greet some other friends, leaving Bella and Angela behind to pick their desks. And wouldn’t you know it, there’s an empty spot right next to Edward’s desk, with room for Angela as well.

Bella takes a deep breath to calm herself before grabbing Angela’s hand and marching them to the back of the room.

Edward looks like he’s super interested in the textbook open in front of him, but Alice is looking at Bella with interest.

“Hi, um, Alice right?” Bella says with a small smile.

“You must be Bella. It’s nice to meet you,” Alice says. She has such a beautiful voice, light and airy. Her eyes are a similar color to Edward’s, and her inky black hair frames her face delicately.

“Nice to meet you too. Do you two mind if Angela and I grab these desks?” Bella asks, resisting the urge to give in and stare at Edward like she  _ really _ wants to. He still hasn’t looked up at her yet, and Bella doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

“Sure, go right ahead,” Alice says with a smile, and wow she has a gorgeous smile, Bella thinks dazedly. She turns away from Alice and back towards Angela, only to realize that she and the rest of the class have been watching Bella and Alice’s interaction with varying levels of curiosity.

Bella, meanwhile, valiantly ignores everyone else in favor of prodding Angela to her new seat next to Bella’s, whose desk is right next to Edward’s.

Bella plops down in her seat, wringing her hair of the excess water, and it only just hits her how cold she’s feeling. The heat in the classrooms hasn’t kicked in yet, and her clothes are sticking to her like a second skin. She’s trying to find a dry corner of her shirt so she can at least dry off her face, when she sees something out of the corner of her eye.

“Here,” Edward says, handing her something that turns out to be a handkerchief. Bella takes it wordlessly, trying to remind herself to breathe as she faces Edward. He’s looking at her just as intently as he did yesterday, but it seems lighter, somehow. He’s got a small smile on his lips...almost like he’s happy to see her. Bella doesn’t dare to think about that.

“Thank you,” she finally breathes out, accepting the handkerchief. She barely brushes his fingers with her own, and has to suppress a shiver because  _ damn _ his hands are cold, colder than hers are now. She dries herself off quickly as best as she can, and then goes to hand it back to him.

“You keep it,” Edward says softly.

“Oh..are you sure?” Bella asks. The fabric feels thick, and expensive; she can hardly believe he would want to give one away.

“Yeah, I have more at home,” Edward says, with a smile that looks like it comes a little easier for him. It would be so easy to get lost in that smile, Bella thinks. But they’re in a classroom, she reminds herself. Surrounded by people that, by the way, are not so secretly glancing their way, faces a mixture of curiosity and envy.

“Well, thank you,” she says. The bell rings then, signaling the start of class. And to her credit, Bella tries really  _ really _ hard to pay attention. But really, it’s math class. And how can anyone pay attention in math class when there is a beautiful boy sitting to your right that may or may not like you back? That’s just unfair, Bella thinks.

Throughout the class, she finds herself sneaking glances to him. Normally, it would be kind of embarrassing, except more than once she finds him already glancing at her. He ducks his head and smiles shyly every time she catches him, and Bella’s heart kind of melts every time.

Slowly but surely, Edward has somehow wormed his way into her mind and her heart in such a short period of time. And with every glance and smile exchanged, Bella feels her defenses crumbling. She hadn’t wanted to put down too many roots here in Forks, initially. Looks like she’s gonna have to make a few changes. Somehow, the prospect makes Bella smile more.

* * *

“Hey Angela, is it still raining?” Bella asks at the end of the class. Almost everyone has filtered out already, heading to the last classes of the day. Alice had bid her farewell with a brigt smile, saying she was headed to a history class. Edward is still here, slowly packing his things up. Bella thinks he’s taking his time just to stay with her, which seems equal parts ridiculous and amazing in her mind. He hasn’t said much else to her, but he hasn’t been indifferent to her at all. She still has his handkerchief, folded up and tied around her wrist like a bracelet made of fabric.

Mike and Jessica are long gone, mentioning having to sprint across the school campus for their next class. Angela is waiting by the door; thankfully they have the next class together as well.

“Yeah, it hasn’t slowed down,” Angela sighs, staring gloomily out the door.

“Damn,” Bella sighs. She’s finally dried off, and the thought of going back out there in the rain is depressing.

“Would you like to borrow my coat, Bella?” Edward asks suddenly. Both Bella and Angela turn to look at him in surprise.

“Oh...I can’t take your coat from you when it’s raining!” Bella says, mortified at the thought. Edward laughs then, and the sound automatically brings a smile to Bella’s lips.

“I’ll be fine with just my sweater, believe me. Besides, I’m thinking I might just go home instead of going to gym class,” Edward says, wrinkling his nose at the thought; Bella snorts.

“I can’t blame you for that. But are you absolutely sure?” she asks, needing to resist the urge to just say yes. Edward doesn’t answer her, merely grabbing his coat from the back of his seat to drape it over Bella’s shoulders.

Bella’s breath catches; he’s standing so close to her now. His eyes look to be a couple shades darker than yesterday, but it might just be the lighting. Edward’s hands are still on her shoulders, and he doesn’t seem to be very inclined to remove them; Bella is absolutely okay with that.

“I’m absolutely sure,” Edward says lowly, brushing his hands softly on her shoulders before stepping back. It takes a second for Bella’s brain to come back online after that.

“Thank you, Edward,” Bella says gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure, Bella.” Edward says with a soft smile. With a last lingering look at her, and a nod goodbye to Angela, he leaves.

Bella lets out the breath she’s holding as she turns to look at Angela, who’s eyes are wide as saucers. “Did that honestly just happen?” she asks Angela.

“Yeah. Bella...I’ve never seen him do anything like that to  _ anyone _ . Edward usually just ignores all the girls here. He must think you’re pretty special,” Angela says with a smile. Bella can’t even wrap her head around that; they literally met just yesterday.

And yet…

In the short time they’ve known about each other, Bella can’t deny the inexplicable pull she feels towards him. From what everyone in this school has said, by all accounts Edward should be an enigma, someone with an aura of mystery about him. And that is somewhat true, Bella thinks. She still doesn’t really know that much about him other than he and his siblings are adopted and don’t really interact with anyone else. But he’s not a total mystery, as well. He is a kind person, judging by the coat around her shoulders and the handkerchief on her wrist. He’s very close to his family, which Bella can understand. Personally, she would move heaven and earth for Charlie and Renee and even Phil. He seems like the quiet and shy type, but he’s also got a sense of humor.

Honestly, Bella doesn’t really get why everyone else seems so intimidated by him and his family. While interacting with Alice, Bella hadn’t really felt an arrogant or standoffish vibe from her at all. Even if overwhelmingly beautiful (and that has to be a family trait, Bella thinks wryly), Alice had seemed down to earth and a good person to get along with.

“...I think he’s pretty special, too,” Bella says finally, tugging Edward’s coat closer. She takes a deep breath; it smells like spiced cinnamon and apple. She resolutely does  _ not _ think about being close enough to him to smell his skin. Not even a little bit.

Blessedly, it has a hood, so Bella can cover her head as she and Angela head on out to their next class. The rain is still pouring down, hard enough that they have to keep their heads ducked. Then, Bella spots something out of the corner of her eye. It’s Edward, she realizes. But instead of heading to the parking lot where the cars are, or even to the gym, he’s walking towards the woods surrounding the school.

That’s so weird, Bella thinks. He doesn’t seem that fazed about the rain pouring down on him, he’s almost walking like it’s a regular day.

And that’s when it happens.

Bella blinks, and then suddenly Edward is gone.

“What the fuck,” she says aloud. One second he was walking towards the woods, and the next second it’s like he just disappeared into thin air.

“Bella?” Angela calls out, and that’s when Bella realizes she’s stopped walking.

“Did you see that?” Bella asks her, squinting into the woods as if she can find a clue as to where he went.

“See what? Bella, we really should be getting to class, we’re getting soaked,” Angela pleads.

“But I…,” Bella scans the woods, half wondering if she’s losing her mind. Finally, she turns back to Angela. “Okay, yeah. Sorry, I guess...I’m just imagining things.”

“It’s alright, let’s just get inside.”

The two girls resume walking to the next building, Bella’s mind racing. Somehow, she had managed to put the incident in the cafeteria out of her mind until now. Yesterday, it had seemed as if Edward has an insane super hearing ability, and now today apparently he can teleport or some shit.

Which is insane. Absolutely insane. But it happened! Bella has seen it with her own eyes, and unless someone’s been slipping hallucinogens into her water, she has no reason to believe her mind is playing tricks on her. Which only leaves the second option.

Edward seems to have supernatural abilities.

There. It’s a thought that Bella’s been dancing around since yesterday, and now that she’s finally let herself think of that as a possibility, it doesn’t seem as laughable as before.

Because as much as Bella likes Edward, now that she really thinks about it, he does seem...otherworldly at times.

“Oh c’mon, B, he’s not an alien,” she mumbles to herself. But the idea won’t stop growing in her brain, and Bella shakes her head as she tries to get some sense of reality back.

* * *

 

She and Angela finally reach the next classroom, ready to tackle a thrilling class of economics. They snag some spots at the back of the classroom again, and as much as Bella wants to pay attention to the class, she can’t.

Her macbook is open in front of her (a birthday present from the year before from Charlie, bless him), and before Bella can change her mind, she opens up a tab for Google.

_ Mythical creatures _ , is what she types into the search bar. Bella has to smother a quiet laugh at the results that pop up.

_ Dragon, Mermaid, Unicorn, Werewolf, Fairy, etc. _

The list goes on and on, and Bella’s already shaking her head at herself for being stupid. Just the thought of these types of creatures existing is laughable. Bella highly doubts that Edward is secretly a fire breathing dragon, or a werewolf in disguise.

Just for fun, she decides to browse a few of them to see what they say. Mermaids, apparently, foretell disaster, provoke shipwrecks, and cause terrible storms.

Guess that rules out Edward being a mermaid, unless he’s the one making it rain this hard, Bella thinks with a grin. Fairies have magical powers and possess “diminutive” intelligence. Well, that rules Edward being a fairy out too; he seems very intelligent, and does not actually seem to be able to warp reality.

Werewolves tend to have superhuman strength and agility, while also having a tendency to shapeshift into a half human-half wolf form, or straight up wolf. Bella thinks she would have noticed if Edward had turned into a wolf, so that’s off the table.

She goes through the list, already having given up on her econ class as a lost cause for the day. Griffins, trolls, yetis, the list goes on. It’s amusing to go through them, and as she reads each one, Bella’s doubts about Edward’s humanity start to seem more and more ridiculous.

‘Vampires,” Bella murmurs. It’s near the end of the list, and class ends in about ten minutes so she figures this will be the last one before class -and school- ends for the day.

So vampires apparently are blessed with an ethereal, almost inhuman beauty, have superhuman strength, superhuman speed….and enhanced senses. Bella frowns at her screen, her mouth suddenly dry. What if...it wasn’t teleportation? What if Edward had started running so fast that it looked like he had disappeared?

Bella takes a shaky breath, her earlier humor gone now. But vampires don’t exist. Period.

But...in the cafeteria, Bella had been positive that Edward could hear her, judging by his reactions to her’s and Lauren’s conversation. And that should have been impossible because it was way too loud in there and they were on opposite sides of the cafeteria.

She looks back down at her screen; inhuman beauty….well, Bella can admit that Edward is exceptionally beautiful. Pale skin, as white as snow, copper colored hair, golden eyes...that, now that Bella thinks about it, she’s never seen before in anyone until coming to Forks.

“...Bella? Are you okay?” Angela’s voice suddenly cuts through her thoughts, and Bella looks up to see Angela looking at her with concern. She suddenly realizes that she has her fists clenched so tight they hurt, her breath coming in rapid spurts.

“I’m fine, sorry about that,” Bella says hastily, loosening her hands. She tries to take deep, calming breaths as quietly as possible as the bell finally rings.

“It’s okay. Um, I’ll see you on Monday, okay?” Angela says hesitantly, and relief washes over Bella as she realizes it’s the weekend now. She gets two full days to herself to process either the existence of supernatural creatures or her crumbling sanity.

“Yeah! I’ll see you Monday,” Bella says, and gives Angela her most reassuring smile. It seems to work, because Angela smiles back and leaves Bella to let out a breath.

_ So, what the hell do I do now? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so you know how Stephenie took about 10 years of our lives just to get Bella to find out the truth about Edward back in Twilight? yeah, we don't play that game here.
> 
> edward's back next chapter! still stupidly smitten and also oblivious (spoiler: it's adorable)
> 
> thanks for reading!


	4. boy freaks the hell out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boy falls even more in love, and then reality sets in.

After speaking with Esme, Edward spends the night in his room listening to music and actively resisting the urge to just go to Bella. As Alice so helpfully points out, that is stalker behavior and probably something that Bella would not appreciate.

Edward has to admit to himself that he is out of practice in dealing with humans. I mean, sure, he goes to school and puts on a show just like the rest of his family. But it’s been a long time since he’s tried to  _ connect _ with a human on an emotional level.

There’s just something about Bella that makes him want to try, though. In the cafeteria there had been a light in her eyes, mischievous and daring, that had appealed to him from afar, no matter how much he tried to ignore it. And in the science classroom, instead of shying away from him out of anxiety or nervousness as the humans tend to do, Bella had surprised him by stubbornly refusing to shut him out until he caved to her. It was refreshing, to say the least. Edward genuinely wants to get to know her better, her likes and dislikes, her personality, even the people she loves.

Even before her arrival in Forks, Bella Swan had been a hot topic within the small town. She is Chief Swan’s only daughter, after all. Taken from him by his ex-wife, Bella had apparently rarely been seen around town until now. Sometimes Bella would spend school breaks with him here, but for the most part Charlie Swan would travel to Phoenix, Arizona to visit her (according to what he’s heard from the locals in passing, at least). 

Edward wonders what Bella must feel, moving from a part of the world as sunny and bright as Phoenix to rainy and dreary Forks. He wonders why exactly she chose to move here permanently, and now of all times, her junior year of high school. 

Esme must have mentioned their conversation to Carlisle; and with living in a house full of vampires that happen to have superhuman hearing abilities, the whole house now knows about his feelings for one Bella Swan.

“Good for you, little brother,” Emmett says, as Rosalie snorts.

“I give him two days before he gets bored,” she sighs, and Edward makes a face. They’re in the living room now, watching some ridiculous cop show.

Jasper and Alice are out now; because Jasper is fairly new to their vegetarian lifestyle, he does need to feed more regularly than everyone else. Edward idly notes he should go hunt fairly soon as well, maybe in a few weeks. Bloodlust hasn’t really been a problem for a while, but with his decision to court Bella (and Edward can hardly even believe that in itself), he reasons that he still should be more careful around her. Her blood smells sweet, maybe sweeter than most other humans; but he could just be biased. Even so, he doesn’t want to take a risk like that with her.

“Do what makes you happy, Edward,” Carlisle murmurs from his office study. Esme makes a noise of agreement; she is working on a new watercolor painting in the attic. 

“Thank you,” Edward says quietly. Honestly, he’d been worried about his family’s reaction, so it’s a relief that he does indeed have their support (even Rosalie, in her own way). 

At around 4 in the morning, Alice sends out a group text. 

_ We’re heading back. Gotta skip morning classes today, the sun will be out.  _

Edward sighs; he’d been hoping to see Bella this morning in the parking lot. She has a very distinctive car, a blue Jeep Wrangler that looks like she takes care of it well. 

“Isn’t it supposed to rain today?” Emmett says from his and Rosalie’s room. Edward’s phone buzzes in his hand; he has another text from Alice just for him.

_ Bring your coat today, the warm one. You’re gonna need it. _

He raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t send a text asking what she means. When it comes to Alice and her visions, they’ve all come to adapt to them and trust her judgement.

* * *

Edward and Alice arrive to their math class a bit early. The sun had disappeared a while ago, and now he can smell the rain in the air. They automatically migrate towards the back of the classroom as they send polite nods to their teacher and the few students in the classroom.

Alice is smiling, humming something softly under her breath.

“You seem awfully cheerful today,” Edward says quietly as they settle in. He huffs out a laugh as the rain finally comes pouring down, various shrieks of horror coming from all around the school as students start to rush to their classrooms.

“Really?” Alice says with a bigger smile. Edward narrows his eyes at her.

“What do you know that I don’t?” he asks cautiously. Alice doesn’t answer him; she doesn’t have to because two seconds later he gets his answer. The classroom door crashes open and in come in Jessica, Mike, Angela …and Bella.

Edward’s eyes widen as he takes in the state of her. For some reason she doesn’t have a coat on today and now Alice’s text makes sense, Edward realizes. Bella’s face is flushed as she catches her breath, and Edward can see that she has a death grip on Angela’s arm to keep her from falling. Her clothes are soaked through and skintight (and Edward  _ really _ can’t go there right now, his self control isn’t  _ that _ great) and her hair looks like she just walked through a carwash. 

“Should have told me to bring a damn towel,” Edward hisses to Alice, fixing his attention to the open textbook in front of him to keep from crossing the room to Bella’s side. 

“That would have been too obvious,” Alice sighs back. Edward is about to retort back when he hears Bella take a deep breath, and to his amazement, start to walk over to them.

“Hi, Alice, right?” he hears Bella say, and wow, it takes all of his willpower not to look up at her. Going by the last time they made eye contact, there is a very big chance he’ll lose himself in her all over again. 

He barely listens to Alice speaking, all of his senses attuned to Bella alone. He can sense the faint tremors running through her body, her hair and skin still wet with the cold rain. Her heartbeat is steady, if a little fast (Edward doesn’t dare hope it’s because of him). She sits at the desk next to him, trying to dry herself off as best as she can, and Edward can’t take it anymore.

Before he can try and talk himself out of it, Edward reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handkerchief.

“Here,” he says as he hands the handkerchief to Bella. She doesn’t say anything, eyes wide as she takes it from him, but he can hear her breath catch all the same. He can’t help but smile at the faint surprise in her face.

“Are you sure?” she asks, when he tells her to keep it, and Edward almost laughs. 

“I have more at home,” he reassures her. Bella smiles at him then, an honest-to-god smile that crinkles her eyes and dimples her cheeks. It’s in that moment, then, that Edward can feel something just click in his universe. This moment in this classroom on this ridiculously rainy day, it was meant to happen. It is dark and disgusting outside, and yet Bella’s smile is more than enough to light up the area. And Edward vows to himself then that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her smiling.

“Thank you,” she says, and he has to turn his head back to his textbook to hide his ridiculously huge smile. 

_ Ughhhhhhh, you guys are too cute! _ Alice thinks very loudly, as Edward tunes back into reality. 

“Shut up,” he whispers to her fondly. Edward hasn’t really bothered to pay attention in his classes in a long time, and right now why would he when Bella is sitting directly next to him? He can’t help but sneak glances at her, and every time they make eye contact she smiles at him, and Edward can feel himself falling little by little with each one.

The highlight of the class for Edward is when he looks over at her yet again, only to see Bella carefully folding his handkerchief before tying it around her wrist.

But soon, class is over in the blink of an eye. 

“Gotta go. History class awaits,” Alice says with a wink and a smile at both Bella and Edward. He rolls his eyes at her and Bella gives her a sympathetic smile. Their other classmates file out, and Edward can’t help but try and prolong his stay with Bella until she leaves. She and Angela are about to head out, when Bella asks Angela if it’s still raining, and Edward remembers why he brought his coat in the first place.

“Would you like to borrow my coat, Bella?” he asks, and there’s that faint surprise on her face again. Adorably, she’s more worried about him without his coat, and now Edward can’t hold back his laughter. 

_ If you only knew, _ Edward thinks as he reassures her about his wellbeing.

“Are you absolutely sure?” she asks, taking a few steps closer to him, and he honestly can’t resist putting his coat around her shoulders. It’s dangerously intoxicating, seeing Bella wearing his clothes. Edward can’t help but gently place his hands on her shoulders, and even that point of contact sends lightning zipping through his veins.

“I’m absolutely sure,” he says, watching as her pupils dilate just a bit. He’s so close to her now, and threatening to fall under the same kind of trance as yesterday by just looking at her.

_ Respect her boundaries, respect her boundaries, respect her boundaries _ , Edward has to mentally chant to himself as he steps away from Bella. 

“Thank you, Edward. I really appreciate it,” Bella says, and the genuine relief and gratitude in her eyes lifts his heart.

“It’s my pleasure, Bella,” Edward says gently. It’s tempting to just stay there with her, but she does have another class to get to soon, so he bids her and Angela goodbye and steps outside.

Looking up at the dark sky, Edward takes a deep breath. The rain feels great, falling down on him like this. It helps to clear his mind, just a bit. It’s insanity to think that somehow, even after having made his peace with being alone for the rest of his (forever) life, someone like Bella could blindside him like this so unexpectedly. 

“He must think you’re pretty special,” Edward hears Angela say, and has to suppress a grin. He can’t help but linger for a bit, wondering what Bella will respond to her. 

“...I think he’s pretty special, too,” Bella says finally, and Edward has not felt this light in  _ years.  _

* * *

He decides to run.

Edward doesn’t know where he’s going; all he knows is he feels so happy he wants to fly. So naturally, running is his second best option.

_ I think he’s pretty special too. _

Edward laughs out loud, narrowly avoiding smashing his face into a low hanging branch. He can hear his phone going off every few seconds, which means the group chat with his siblings must be busy. He slows down enough to pull his phone out of his pocket and skim through the messages. 

_ Jasper: So Edward’s in love. Can feel it from all the way across the school.  _

_ Rose: that was fast jfc its been ONE day _

_ Emmett: leave him alone babe my bro needs to get laid _

_ Alice: Ew, Em. And where are u edward? U should get back here we need to talk _

Alice’s message cuts through Edward’s happiness a bit, and he frowns down at his phone. He’s only been running for a couple of hours, and Alice was perfectly happy when he saw her last. Her message makes it seem like something’s happened, so he decides to call her. 

“Hey,” Edward says once she picks up. 

“Where are you?” Alice asks, to the point. She doesn’t sound upset or worried, which calms Edward down. 

“Mmm, not sure. Canada, probably. Why?”

Alice sighs. “We have a bit of a problem.”

“Which is…?”

“You’re not being careful enough. Bella’s figuring it out,” Alice says with a tint of humor to her voice, and it takes a second for Edward to understand. 

“ _ How _ ?” Edward asks incredulously. He can almost hear Alice shrug over the phone. 

“She’s smart, and observant. And let's be honest, you let your guard down with her, whether you wanted to or not.”

Edward replays all of his memories with Bella back, and yeah, he has to admit Alice has a point. Bella had been brazen enough to wink at him in the cafeteria, as if including him in her conversation. She’d obviously realized that he could hear her. But there must have been something else to tip her off, he just doesn't known what it could be. 

“I can’t read her mind,” Edward says to Alice.

“I'm sorry, what? Like, at all?” Alice says in surprise. 

“Yeah. Not a single thought.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Edward sighs; he stops running and leans against a tree. 

“I really like her, Alice,” Edward admits quietly. “But what if...she figures it out, and she doesn’t like me? What if she doesn't like the fact that I'm a monster?”

Even as he speaks, Edward can hear the vulnerability in his voice. Alice sighs quietly on the line. 

“I can’t tell you yet what will happen, Edward. You haven't made the decision to tell her, and I don't think she's figured it out completely either. But whatever happens, you know we'll always be there for you. For both of you, hopefully.”

For a moment, Edward lets himself imagine just that. Bella, in his living room, talking with Esme and Carlisle. Sitting with his siblings at lunch in school. Just the two of them walking together, side by side, and being able to hold her hand. 

Edward closes his eyes, and makes his decision. 

* * *

Fate is a funny thing, Edward reflects later.

He’d made the decision to tell Bella the truth, and to be upfront with her about everything. He’d planned it all out and consulted with Alice, and had steeled himself for her reaction.  Too bad he never got a chance to put his plan into action. 

The weekend comes and goes, and Monday morning sees Edward waiting anxiously for Bella’s arrival...except she doesn't go to school.

“You know, you’re hiding your panic well,” Rosalie says to him with a smirk later that day. It’s lunch time and they’re in the cafeteria. Edward is valiantly pretending that he isn't trying to eavesdrop on basically everyone on campus for information on Bella. 

“I’m not panicking,” he says distractedly, perking up when he spots Angela and the others entering the building. He doesn't notice Jasper shaking his head at his siblings. 

Sadly, Edward can’t actually go up to Angela and ask about Bella. That would draw way too much attention. Briefly, he’d thought about going by her house to see if she was still there, and he’d made the mistake of voicing that idea to his sisters. 

Honestly, Rosalie’s look of pure horror and pity cut that idea right out of his head. 

“You’re overthinking things, Edward,” Alice says soothingly. “She’s fine.” 

Even so, Edward couldn’t help the faint thrum of worry running through his veins. What if Bella had figured it out, and couldn't stand the thought of him?

“Can you relax, my man? I think we’d know if the new girl had fled the country,” Emmett says with a chuckle, completely ignoring Edward’s glare. 

“You’re not helping,” Edward sighs. He spends all of the lunch break listening for even the slightest mention of Bella. His luck seems to have run out, however, as none of Bella’s so-called new friends even attempt to bring her up in passing.

The bells rings to signal the end of lunch, and as everyone files out and Edward starts to rethink his plan to check in on Bella, he feels a faint tap on his shoulder. He turns around and none other than Angela Weber is standing right behind him.

“Um…” Angela starts, clearly flustered as all hell that Edward takes pity on her.

“Hello, Angela. How are you?” he asks smoothly. They’re standing in a mostly empty hallway, as the last stragglers rush off to their classes. Edward can see that Angela’s turning bright red even as he speaks.

“I’m well, thanks,” she says quietly. Edward, meanwhile, doesn’t have a clue on what Angela could possibly want with him, when all of a sudden she thrusts her phone into his face.

“Here. It’s for you,” she mumbles, and Edward is almost convinced he’s losing his mind, when he catches sight of the screen itself. The phone has an active call going on, and the caller ID says…

“Bella,” Edward breathes out. Hesitantly, he plucks the phone from Angela’s hand and brings it to his ear.

“Hello?” 

“Hey,” Bella says warmly, and instantly, Edward feels calm again. “How’s it going?”

“Oh, you know, everything’s good,” Edward says lightly. “How are you?”

“Eh. Been better,” she says, and it's then that Edward hears the rasp in her voice. 

“Are you okay?” Edward asks in concern.

“Mmm, in hindsight, getting soaked by freezing cold rain wasn't my brightest idea,” Bella sighs, which unfortunately triggers a bout of coughing. Edward is already running though a mental checklist of every cold remedy he can think of. 

“I’m sorry you’re feeling unwell,” he says unhappily. 

“I’ll live,” Bella quips. “But, ah, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?” 

“Absolutely.”

“Well…” she hedges, and Edward can hear her take a deep breath. “I’ve only been to school for two days, and it’s way too early in the year for me to fall behind...so I was hoping you could bring me my homework assignments?” Bella asks in a rush of air. 

Edward blinks, a slow smile spreading on his face. 

“I would love to,” he says with as much conviction as possible.  There’s a moment of stunned silence over the line, and then:

“Oh! Well, great! Thank you,” Bella says with a light laugh. “And I guess I'll need your number if I'm gonna text you my address.”

It’s a testament to Edward’s fraying willpower that he doesn't immediately run out the doors to his car. After all, he still has to sit through his science class just so that he has something to take to Bella. 

“It’s my pleasure, Bella,” Edward says sweetly, and rattles off his cell phone number to her. “I’ll see you soon.” 

“Bye, Edward. I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up, and laughs. Just like that, Edward’s bad mood has completely evaporated. It’s amazing what a simple phone call can change, he thinks. Suddenly, he remembers that it’s Angela’s phone he’s holding. 

“Ah, thank you, Angela,” Edward says with a small laugh as he hands her the phone back. Angela seems like she’s feeling more comfortable now that she’s actually watched him up close. She is leaning against the lockers with a soft smile on her face. 

“You’re welcome. I'll admit, I was a little nervous with what Bella was asking, but she asked me to trust her, and to trust you too.”

Now that takes Edward by surprise; he’s not used to being trusted by someone outside his family. It feels...great, if he’s being honest with himself. It’s been awhile since he's made new friends. 

“I appreciate that, Angela. Ah, but if you’ll excuse me, I should get to class. It’s Bella’s class too, after all,” Edward says, and he can’t help the ridiculous smile on his face. Angela smiles brightly at him. 

“Have a good one, Edward.” With a last wave, Angela leaves Edward standing in the now empty hallway. 

“Your mood swings are giving me a headache,” he hears Jasper mutter from the other side of the school. Edward pays him no mind; after all, Bella had reached out to  _him_. He doesn't know what that means, exactly, but just the fact that she's willing to invite him to her home....it amazes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait! had a bit of a mental block while writing, til i basically scraped it all and started over. hope you like! reviews/critique is always welcome!


	5. girl makes her move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> girl meets boy's father under not-so-good circumstances (it's okay though, it all works out in the end)

Misery on top of pain on top of more misery. 

Or at least, that’s what it feels like to Bella when she wakes up Saturday morning with a pounding headache and a throat that feels like it was rubbed raw with sandpaper. 

“Oh, kiddo,” Charlie says sympathetically when he pops his head into her room. 

“Nreghhh,” Bella moans pathetically from her fetal position. She’s curled around a box of tissues that, so far, hasn't helped with her stuffed nose. 

“What happened?” he asks, checking her temperature with his hand on her forehead. 

“Got caught in the rain,” Bella manages to say, before succumbing to a fit of coughing. Charlie helps her through it, rubbing her back and helping her sit up. 

Bella hates being sick. Hates it with the passion of a thousand suns. Therefore, she usually tries to take care of herself to avoid this exact scenario. 

“Kill meeeee,” she moans, leaning against Charlie. 

“Sorry kiddo, can’t do it. Those murder charges would be hell,” Charlie deadpans. Bella would laugh if she weren't afraid to trigger another coughing fit. 

“I can run to the store before my shift and get you some meds. Any preference?” Charlie asks, bless him. 

“Everything you can get your hands on,” Bella sighs, sinking back underneath her covers. 

And that’s how Bella basically spends her Saturday: hopped up on enough cold medicine to kill any sane person and curled up in bed. Charlie tries to talk her into going to see a doctor, but if there is one thing that Bella hates more than being sick, it’s going to the doctor’s office. 

“Why did you have to turn out as stubborn as me?” Charlie sighs over the phone after yet another failed plea to get Bella to the doctor. Bella only coughs in response; Charlie is still at work on a late shift Saturday night, and Bella has managed to migrate from being sick in her bed to being sick while on the couch. 

“I’ll be fine, dad,” Bella finally says. “It’s probably just a 24-hour bug, anyway.”

It isn’t.

Bella didn’t think it was possible to feel worse after Saturday, but Sunday exceeds all expectations. Her fever manages to spike up and the coughing gets worse, so much so that even Bella is reconsidering her stance on going to the doctor’s. She makes the mistake of actually mentioning that to Charlie, who doesn't hesitate to pounce on the idea. 

Which is how she ends up getting a ride to urgent care in her dad’s cruiser. 

“You’re lucky I'm too sick to put up a fight about this,” Bella says with a glare that even she knows is weak as hell. 

Charlie just sends her a sympathetic glance. “You know you’re in no shape to drive yourself, and you won't let me drive your car, so here we are.”

“Bonnie is temperamental,” Bella insists with a sigh, leaning her head on Charlie’s arm. Charlie snorts. 

“Why in god’s name did you name your jeep Bonnie?”

“I think I had an imaginary friend named Bonnie, once. Also, don't you think ‘Bella and Bonnie’ has a nice ring to it?”

“Whatever you say, kiddo. Hey, we’re here.”

Bella sits up, the nerves she's been trying to keep at bay rearing up again. 

“Go on and check in, I'm gonna go park,” Charlie says and Bella nods tiredly. 

It honestly hurts to have to get out of the car and make her way into the building, feeling every ache and pain in her body. 

“Hi, how can I help you?” the pretty blonde receptionist asks when Bella finally makes it inside. 

“Hi, um, my name’s Isabella Swan, I made an appointment?” she says, barely remembering to use her full first name. 

“Yup! Here you go hon, just have a seat and fill these out, we’ll call your name when we're ready for you.”

Bella takes the clipboard and shuffles over to the nearest chair as Charlie (and bless him, he has great timing) comes in. 

“Hi Chief Swan,” the receptionist greets him warmly, and of course she knows him, Bella thinks wryly. Charlie greets her back before sitting down next to Bella. 

“Can you…” Bella asks, gesturing with the clipboard. She doesn't have the patience or the energy for paperwork now, and thankfully Charlie understands. Bella hands him the clipboard and leans on him and closes her eyes. 

She must drift off for a bit, because the next thing she knows, a nurse is calling her name and beckoning her. Bella sighs and stands slowly with Charlie’s help.

“Ah...do you...want me to go in with you?” Charlie asks hesitantly, and Bella looks at him in surprise. And then she realizes, this is the first time she’s been to a doctor with Charlie in  _ years _ . Last time, she was, what, 8 years old or so? Bella blinks back sudden tears that spring into her eyes, feeling a strong rush of affection for her dad. 

“No, it’s fine, but thanks though. For everything,” she says warmly, and almost laughs at the relief in his eyes. 

“Alright, just don’t die back there,” Charlie says gruffly. 

“I'll do my best,” Bella says with a tired smile.

 

* * *

The examination by the nurse is exactly as invasive and nerve wracking as Bella expects, but at least it's over now. She’s in a very generic exam room, laying on an exam table that’s about as comfortable as an actual table, waiting for the doctor to come in. 

Bella’s not asleep, exactly, just drifting. She hears the door open but doesn't really feel like opening her eyes. 

“Hello, Bella. Can you open your eyes for me?” says someone that Bella presumes is her doctor. His voice is airy and lilting, and somehow helps to soothe her nerves. 

“Yeah,” Bella sighs before opening her eyes. 

He’s beautiful, is her first hazy thought. He’s got amazing looking blonde hair and cheekbones that look that they can cut rocks. His eyes are a lovely (and familiar) honey golden color, and honestly Bella will later blame her illness on not piecing the clues together then. 

“There you go. I'm Dr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you,” he says with a soft smile. 

_ Oh shit _ , Bella thinks distractedly. And now that he’s said it, she can see the resemblance. The pale skin, the eye color, the way he holds himself. 

Just like Edward. 

Bella thinks she should feel scared, or panicked even, but she just doesn't have the energy for that. And really, she's not sure she  _ should _ feel scared. Even if her wild theory is correct (and it is an insanely wild ass theory), Bella can admit to herself that she's never felt threatened in any way by Edward. 

“You’re Edward’s dad,” Bella hears herself say, and damn her traitorous mouth. She must be more out of it than she'd realized. 

“Yes, I am. How are you feeling, Bella?”

“Like Death himself decided to run me over with his car,” Bella says with a small grin before giving in to a sudden bout of coughing. And ughhh, it’s absolute hell on her throat. 

“Here, drink this,” Dr. Cullen says before pressing a cup of water into her hand. Bella takes it shakily, trying to steady her breathing and blink back tears. 

“Thanks,” she says finally, once she's had the water and feels like she can talk again. 

“How long have you been feeling sick?” Dr. Cullen asks quietly, silently asking for permission before he probes her throat to feel for any swollen glands. 

“Since yesterday morning.”

His fingers are cold but gentle, and Bella can't help but feel surprised. She usually hates this part of doctor's visits the most; the feeling of not being in charge of her own body as a total stranger pokes and prods her usually causes her anxiety. But right now it's different. Dr. Cullen’s bedside manner is genuinely comforting. He takes care to make sure he has Bella’s permission before touching her, and he doesn't overstep his bounds. She feels relaxed (or about as relaxed as one can be while also sick) and, more importantly, she feels respected. 

Finally, he finishes his examination and steps back, fixing her with a sympathetic look. 

“How bad is it?” Bella asks warily. 

“I believe you have the flu,” Dr. Cullen says gently, and Bella groans in defeat. 

“I thought it was just a cold,” she mumbles. 

“Your symptoms are too aggressive to be a cold, Bella. Unfortunately, this does mean that you’ll have to take some time out of school. I can write you a doctor's note to give to the attendance office, and I'm going to prescribe you an antiviral medication. Hopefully, that'll help shorten your illness.”

_ Damn _ . Bella hadn't wanted to miss school so early in the year. She still barely knows her teachers and she's gonna be so behind when she actually does get to go back. 

“Okay, thanks,” Bella sighs after a minute, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. She can hear Dr. Cullen writing, and it’s kind of soothing to just sit there that she kind of drifts off again so it totally isn't her fault when Bella opens her mouth again. 

“Charlie said that you and your wife adopted Edward and Alice and the others?”

Whoops. She definitely had  _ not _ intended to say anything about Edward, but here we are. She doesn't bother to open her eyes, but merely waits for Dr. Cullen to respond. 

“We did,” he says after a moment. “Esme, my wife, and I wanted to start a family. We didn't exactly think our family would get so big, but we love them all so much that it's impossible to imagine life without them.”

Bella can hear the quiet conviction in his voice, and the relief that she feels surprises her. Obviously, if Edward is an actual vampire, then it stands to reason that everyone else in his family is as well. All the articles she had found on google on friday had said that vampires are bloodthirsty, uncaring monsters. They kill and take what they want and leave destruction in their wake. 

None of that gels with what Bella knows about the Cullens. 

“They do make quite an impression,” Bella says with a small grin, finally opening her eyes. Dr. Cullen is looking at her, and Bella can see the kindness in his eyes. 

“Why did you decide to become a doctor?” Bella asks suddenly, and she can see that the question takes Dr. Cullen by surprise. She's surprised at herself, if she's being honest. But Bella finds that she really needs to know the answer to her question. 

“I became a doctor because I decided that I could not be the kind of person to step aside and watch people suffer, not when I could do something to help,” he answers quietly, not breaking eye contact with her. Bella believes him, because that is more in line with what she's seen from him and his family in the short time she's known them. 

Bella smiles at him, and makes a decision. 

Dr. Cullen must see something change in her face, because he smiles back at her. “It was lovely to meet you, Bella. Come on, I'll walk you out to the waiting room.”

 

* * *

 

 

Bella sits on her bed, staring at her cell phone with growing anxiety.  

It's Monday, and she's still feeling craptastic, no surprise there. Dr. Cullen--sorry, Carlisle, as he'd told her and Charlie to call him by back at urgent care--had said that it would probably take about a day before she would start to feel the effects of the meds. 

At least her voice is relatively back to normal, which is great because she needs to make a very important phone call. 

At first, it seems like a relatively simple plan. She's gonna be out of school, and so  _ obviously  _ she needs to get access to her assignments so she can keep up in class. Aaaaand if it just so happens to be Edward who can bring them, then that's just fine. 

Then, Bella has a few realizations:

  1. She doesn't have his number. 
  2. They only share some classes, not all. 
  3. He's a goddamn vampire. 



That last one should in theory be the biggest hurdle to get past, but surprisingly it isn't. After a weekend spent on forced bed rest, Bella has had plenty of time to think and to investigate (thank god for Google). She'd done some digging, both on vampire folklore as well as on the Cullens themselves. 

In the end, Bella decides to take a leap of faith (even if the boy she likes and his family happen to be beings that drink blood on a regular basis and could probably wipe out the entire town). The important thing is, they haven't actually tried to wipe anyone out. Or at least as far as she can tell from her sleuthing. 

So, best case scenario: Bella convinces the boy she has a crush on to bring her her schoolwork and maybe get to know him a little. And worst case scenario: she gets killed and/or turned into an immortal being. No big deal. 

Before she can talk herself out of it, she calls Angela. It takes a little convincing, but Angela eventually agrees to help her. 

“Just trust us, please?” Bella wheedles, and Angela sighs in defeat.

“You owe me,” she says with a small laugh. 

“Absolutely!” Bella gushes with a grin. She can hear the bell ring in the background and figures everyone will be off to class now. She just hopes that Angela can come through…

“Hello?” she hears Edward's voice through the phone. 

The overwhelming feeling of relief that overtakes Bella in that moment takes her by surprise, to say the least. It should be worrying that Edward can evoke such strong emotion in her so soon, but Bella brushes the thought aside. 

Instead, she turns on the charm as best she can and manages to convince Edward to come to her house. And the thing is, he sounds so goddamn  _ delighted _ to do so, that Bella doesn't even know what to do with that. 

They hang up, and almost immediately Bella gets a text from Angela:

_ He can't stop smiling.  _

Bella feels it then, a slight shift in her universe. She can't really explain what it feels like, just that it's incredibly important to her that Edward keep smiling. A few days ago, there were only three people on this earth that Bella would do absolutely anything for: Charlie, Renee, and Phil. Now, she has to admit to herself that there may be a fourth.

 

* * *

It's not until the doorbell rings while Bella's trying to hastily braid her hair so that she doesn't look as much like death warmed over that the butterflies kick in. She's going to be at home alone with a cute boy, after all. Obviously, she'd already cleared it with Charlie because Bella doesn't believe in keeping secrets from her parents. She could almost feel him giving her the stink eye over the phone, but eventually had agreed to it once she pointed out that Charlie was supposed to be home by 7 anyway so they wouldn't be alone together for too long. Also, as she had to remind him, she's still sick. 

Bella gives herself one last look in the mirror before taking a shaky breath and heading to the front door. 

For a moment, they just look at each other in surprise, as if neither were expecting the other person to  _ actually _ be there. 

“Hi,” Bella finally breathes out. And with one word, Edward's face lights up with the most beautiful smile that Bella's ever seen. 

“Hi. May I come in?” 

“Oh, sure, of course.” Bella steps aside, and watches as he enters. Honestly, she's still half wondering whether this is really happening or if it's all just some insane fever dream. 

Edward glances around curiously, and Bella wonders what he thinks. To her, her home is just that,  _ her home _ ; with its pale yellow walls and faded furniture. She's heard enough from the people around her that the Cullens are fairly wealthy. Bella doesn't think that Edward is the type of person to judge, but then again she still doesn't know him that well, no?

“I know it's not much, but…” Bella begins but Edward cuts her off. 

“Don't be silly; it's a beautiful home,” he says with a smile. “Thank you for inviting me. Oh, and I have your assignments from both myself and Angela.” He holds up his bag, and Bella smiles in relief. 

“Thank you so much. I  _ really _ don't want to fall behind, so I appreciate this. Come on, I'll give you the grand tour.”

She grins at him, and he grins back, and suddenly it's just so much  _ easier _ . It's feels nice to show Edward around her and Charlie’s home, all while holding a conversation. It's surprisingly easy to talk to him, with smiles shared over the smallest things. Finally, they end up on the loveseat in the living room, sitting in front of the roaring fireplace. Bella's got her legs curled up under a blanket on one end, and Edward is stretched out on the other end, his arm thrown along the back of the couch. They just sit there for a moment, just looking at each other. 

If it were anyone else, Bella muses, the silence would be awkward. She would feel the need to fill the air with random quips, just to feel comfortable. But it's different now; Edward seems content to just sit and enjoy her company, with no expectations. But, she has to remind herself, she is on a mission to get to the truth. Because if she wants to make this work (whatever  _ this _ is), then they should be honest from the beginning. 

“So I have to admit, I do have an ulterior motive for inviting you over,” Bella begins. Edward feigns innocence; “So you didn't just want your school assignments? I'm shocked.” 

“Shut up,” she says with a laugh, even as her heart rate slightly picks up in speed. She's about to put herself out there, in a big way. Edward picks up on it, because she watches as he sits up straight and waits patiently for her to speak. 

“I...um, I like you. A lot,” Bella says, unable to take her eyes off of Edward’s face. “When I decided to move here, I didn’t have any expectations for myself, other than to graduate high school. Then, I met you. And...you’re like no one I’ve ever encountered.”

Her heart is pounding, her mouth is dry as fuck, and her nerves are settling in, but Bella forces herself to keep speaking. The truth, whether good or bad, is never easy to admit. But she hopes it will be worth it, in the end.

“I could say the same about you, y’know,” Edward says quietly. He has a small smile on his lips, and a look of wonder in his eye. “I...would consider myself a well-travelled person, and yet out of all the people I’ve ever met, you are simply extraordinary, Bella Swan.”

Bella just barely holds back a sigh of relief; there had always been the fear of rejection coming into this, so she’s happy that her fears were unfounded. 

“Soooo...where does that leave us?” she asks with a tilt of her head. 

Edward smiles at her. “Well, I would like to take you out on a proper date. When you’re feeling better, of course.” Bella smiles as she feels herself blushing. Edward Cullen literally just asked her out on a date, like, holy crap.

“I would like that very much,” she says with a grin. Bella ducks her head to pull at a loose thread on her blanket, her smile fading away as she figures out how to approach the  _ other _ thing.

“Bella? Are you okay?” Edward asks, and she looks up. He looks slightly worried, and Bella purses her lips. Well, blunt honesty hasn’t failed her yet so...here goes.

“I saw you,” she says, and now the poor boy just looks confused. “The other day, when it rained. I, uh…” Bella has a vague flash of panic because what she’s about to say makes her sound clinically insane, and she might just be about to ruin something good in her life (not to mention get her placed in a psych ward). 

“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” Edward says intently, gently taking her hand in his. And yeah, his hands are just as cold as Carlisle’s were back at the doctor’s office.

“I might just be crazy,” she mutters, but takes a deep breath anyway. “I was walking to class with Angela after you gave me your coat, and I  _ saw _ you walking in the rain...and then you just disappeared into thin air.”

Edward doesn’t say anything to that, so Bella just takes that as a cue to continue rambling on. The damage is already done, so may as well go full steam ahead.

“And before that, in the cafeteria...you heard what I was saying to Lauren, I know it. Which should be  _ impossible _ , but here we are. Your skin is as cold as marble, your eyes are a color of gold that I’ve never seen before, and honestly now that I think about it, they’ve been changing color and getting darker from the day that we met.”

She’s definitely rambling now, but Bella can’t make herself stop because  _ she’s not crazy _ . Edward hasn’t let go of her hand, which she’s still taking as a good sign. He doesn’t look surprised either, maybe kind of resigned, but he still hasn’t said anything yet. Her heart is pounding like crazy, but she makes herself say it.

“You’re not human, are you?”

Edward looks down at his lap for a moment as Bella holds her breath.

“...No, I’m not.”

Bella lets out that breath that she’s been holding slowly; it’s one thing to suspect something insane, but another thing entirely to be proven correct. 

“What are you?”

“I think you already know,” Edward says quietly. 

“I just...I need to hear you say it. I mean, I've been questioning my sanity all weekend so…,” Bella trails off. Edward gives her a resigned look before sighing. 

“I am a vampire.”

There. It's finally out in the open between them. Bella gives herself a couple of minutes to really think about this, and what it means. Obviously, she has a lot of questions to ask, but she settles for asking the one that is an absolute deal breaker for her. 

“Do you kill humans?”

“Absolutely not. We only drink animal blood,” Edward answers instantly, and Bella can feel the rush of relief. She closes her eyes and nods once, choosing to ignore the  _ we _ in that sentence for now. 

“Do you want me to go?” Edward asks, and Bella's eyes snap open. “No! I mean...just give me a minute. It's a lot to take in,” Bella says with a small smile. Edward still looks hesitant, but relaxes back into the couch. 

Bella purses her lips, trying to gather her thoughts as best as she can. Edward waits patiently, still having not let go of her hand. Finally, she lifts up her free hand close to his face and lifts a questioning eyebrow. 

“May I?” she asks. Edward answers by merely closing the distance and nuzzling his cheek in her hand. Bella lets out a soft breath; his skin is still like ice, and so smooth. 

Slowly, she untangles her other hand from his to cup the other side of his face. Edward doesn't say anything, content to just stare intently as Bella continues exploring the planes of his face. She brushes her thumbs across his cheekbones and he lets out a soft sigh at her touch. Up close, she can see that she was right about his eye color; they're a darker gold now than when they had first met. 

“You're beautiful,” she says quietly, without thinking. Edward's eyes flutter shut at the sound of her voice, and she can feel him relax completely under her hands. She runs her fingers through his copper colored hair, marveling at the softness of it as Edward leans into her touch. She explores his jaw, his nose, his temples, all with the pads of her fingers. Finally, she brushes her thumb against his lower lip, and Edward opens his eyes once more. 

They're very close to each other, Bella notes. She's so close she could kiss him (and boy, does she  _ really _ want to).

But...

Well for starters, she's still sick, as she is reminded by the ache in her bones and the slight fever she is still fighting. It's nowhere near as bad as this past weekend, but it's still there. Bella would prefer to feel at 100 percent for their first kiss (a thought that almost makes her dizzy). So with a rueful sigh and a lopsided smile, she pulls back. 

Edward smiles back at her, before suddenly tilting his head, as if he's listening to something. 

“What?” she asks with a raised brow. He seems to hesitate, before apparently deciding to throw caution to the wind. 

“Your dad will be here soon,” Edward says and Bella frowns in confusion. 

“How do you know?”

“I can hear him driving up the street.”

Bela does not have a very good response to that, other than  _ holy shit _ . Her eyes flicker up, and yeah, now she can see headlights against the wall. Looks like he's just parking right now. She looks back at Edward, who is looking at her expectantly. 

“That...is pretty amazing,” Bella finally says with a small laugh. 

“I'm glad you think so,” says Edward. “I, uh, should probably get going soon. You need your rest, and I'm sure Chief Swan’s patience has its limits.”

“Yeah, okay,” says Bella with a small frown. He has a point, but that doesn't mean she can't still feel disappointed….right up until she has a brilliant idea. 

“Well y’know,” Bella begins with a brilliant smile, “I am probably gonna keep needing my schoolwork brought to me. Like, every day.”

“Oh, really?” Edward says, catching on quickly. 

“Yup. And I might even need some tutoring, honestly. You know anyone that could help?” 

“I might,” he responds with a grin. 

And that is how Bella sets herself up for a very good week. She mentally gives herself a pat on the back, very pleased with herself. 

“Hey kiddo, I'm home,” Charlie calls out as he comes into the house. 

“We're in here,” Bella says as Edward moves to a more respectable distance from her, much to her amusement. Charlie comes into the room and immediately narrows his eyes at the both of them. Bella barely stops herself from laughing as Edward stands in a fluid motion. 

“Edward, this is my father, Chief Swan. Dad, meet Edward,” Bella says with a lazy roll of her hand. 

“Sir, it's a pleasure to meet you,” Edward says smoothly, extending his hand. Charlie takes it with a gruff shake as Bella just stifles a laugh.

It just feels so surreal, introducing a boy she likes to her dad. She's never had the opportunity to do so, having lived mostly with Renee all her life. It's a bit of a learning curve, but it's nice. Edward, for his part, fits right in. He chats easily with Charlie, and eventually Charlie drops the overprotective father charade. Charlie takes off his gear and relaxes into his recliner, and Edward settles back onto the loveseat. Bella is content to just sit back and listen to their conversation. 

Finally,  Edward catches Bella’s eye with a slight tilt of his head. She immediately understands the silent request, and fakes a yawn. Edward takes that as his cue.

“I should be heading home, now. Chief Swan, it was good to meet you,” Edward says sincerely. 

“Likewise, Edward. Will I be seeing more of you around here?” Charlie asks pointedly, with a raised brow. Bella feels herself blush as both he and Edward look her way. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Charlie mutters before standing up. “Well, you give your parents my regards, you hear? I’m going to turn in.”

Bella and Edward give their goodnights to him as Charlie climbs up the stairs, and Bella lets out a deep breath.

“That went better than I expected,” she says cheerfully. “Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Edward laughs softly as he gathers his things and follows Bella to the front door. It’s early twilight now, the sky still a deep shade of purple as the sun finishes setting. They step out onto her porch, and Bella takes a breath of fresh air. She turns her head to look at Edward, who is already watching her.

“How do you do that?” he asks her suddenly. Bella gives him a bemused smile.

“Do what?”

“Treat me exactly the same as before. Most people would have run from me screaming, knowing the truth,” Edward says. “You didn’t.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I thought about it for a second, once I put the pieces together,” Bella says with a shrug. “But then I met your father.”

“Carlisle?” 

“Yup. He treated me when I went to urgent care. I asked him about you, and then I asked him why he became a doctor. And then it hit me.”

“What?”

“You care,” Bella says simply, and she can see how much it affects Edward in that moment. His eyes widen in surprise, and his breath catches. “You and your family care about us, when you don’t necessarily have to. Your heart may not beat anymore, but you still  _ feel _ . I figured I should be able to take a chance on that.”

She’s left him speechless, Bella can tell. She meant every word she said to him, and now waits on him. Slowly, Edward steps closer to Bella until there is the smallest of space left between them. She can see the faintest glimmer of gold in his eyes as he gently brushes his lips against her cheek. Bella takes a shaky breath as she winds her arms around Edward’s neck, eyes shutting closed as she buries her face in his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her waist and just holds her to him, before saying to her in her ear:

“I treasure the faith you place in me, and I swear that I will never let you down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a blanket apology for the entire run of this fic whenever it takes me more than a month to update <333  
> thank you for the comments and kudos, it does mean a lot to me


	6. boy has the time of his (undead) life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boy and girl get to know each other better. also, Queen Esme strikes again.

The week that follows is one of the best in Edward's very long life. 

**_Tuesday_ ** :

“Okay, so when I saw you disappear that day, you didn't  _ actually _ disappear?”

“No. I started running.”

“Oh. Wow,” Bella says with wide eyes. They're sitting on her back porch swing, their homework for the evening put aside for the moment. Edward can tell that Bella has a lot of questions, but that she is trying to hold back for either his sake or her own, he's not sure. 

It feels great to just sit with her in peace, and not hear her mind or anyone else’s buzzing in the background. There is a sense of mystery around her, simply because he can’t hear her every thought. Bella and Chief Swan also don't really have any close neighbors, so there is no one else around them. It's peaceful, and Edward could stay forever in this moment. 

“Why were you running?” she asks suddenly, and Edward can't help but grin. 

“You,” he says simply, and Bella arches an eyebrow. It hits him just then how bad that sounds. 

“W-wait, no, not because of anything you did! Or, well, kind of, because of something you  _ said _ ,” Edward stutters, and watches in horror as her eyebrow goes even  _ higher _ in disbelief, my god. Normally, Edward considers himself a very well spoken individual; he's a vampire, after all, what reason would he ever have to get flustered?

Enter Bella Swan into his life.

“I heard you and Angela talking and-”

“So you were spying on me?”

“N-no!” Edward says hastily, throwing his hands up in a placating gesture. “I--”

And that's when he sees it. The corner of her mouth  _ just barely _ twitches, but he sees it. His brain halts to a stop, and he just stares at her. Bella holds her poker face for another few seconds before breaking down into snickers. 

“You…” Edward trails off, having been rendered speechless for the second time in two days. Not many people have ever been able to trick him like that, not since before his transformation. 

“You should have seen your face,” Bella says in between giggles. Edward laughs along with her, partly because, yeah it was funny, and partly out of sheer relief that he hasn’t actually pissed her off. 

“So you heard what I said to Angela,” she says finally after having calmed down. Edward grins ruefully at her. 

“Yeah. And it just made me feel...happy,” he admits, ducking his head down shyly. “So I started running, because it's as close to flying as I'll ever get.”

**_Wednesday_ ** _ : _

It turns out that Bella actually does need some tutoring after all. 

“Math has never been my strong suit,” she confesses with a sigh, tossing her pencil to the side. Edward just grins at her as he packs up their stuff. They'd managed to get about two hours worth of homework done before calling it quits. After all, he could tell she was tired, even if she tried to hide it. 

“Sleep well last night?” he asks, and Bella shrugs. 

“Not really. Coughing kept me up for most of it,” she says. “But it's not as bad as before, so I'll take that as a good sign.”

“Would you like me to go, so you can get some rest?”

“Nah. It's too early to sleep, anyway,” she says before looking at him speculatively. “Buuuut….,”

“Yeees?” Edward drawls, propping his chin in his hand. 

“I was thinking we could do a movie night? Charlie is working late tonight anyway so you can keep me company.”

Edward blinks in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that, but then again, Bella and her father have an impressive movie selection. The shelves surrounding their wall mounted TV are filled with either DVDs or games for Bella’s various game consoles. He has a feeling that she and Emmett will get along fantastically. 

“Yeah, of course. What would you like to watch?”

“Oh, you can choose. You're the guest, after all,” Bella says with a sweep of her hand to the shelves before standing. 

“I'm gonna make popcorn, I'm assuming for just me?” she asks with a wry grin. Edward smiles back and nods. He waits until she starts walking away before whipping out his phone to frantically text his siblings. 

_ Edward: Bella told me to pick a movie for us to watch, what should i pick??? _

_ Alice: Rom com!!!! _

_ Rose: agree w alice _

_ Jasper: god no.  _

_ Emmett: yeah no. horror! you'll have her in your arms in no time _

_ Rose: ugh no that's not romantic AT ALL have i taught you nothing? _

_ Alice: don't listen to Em, he doesn't know anything. pick a nicholas sparks movie, jas and i looove to watch them _

_ Jasper: mmm no, we've talked about this, YOU like watching them and I just pretend to _

_ Edward: Why do i even bother with you guys? _

With a sigh, he pockets his phone again and heads over to the shelves. He can hear Bella humming softly under her breath in the kitchen as she waits for the popcorn. Looking through their collection of movies, Edward can pretty easily tell which ones are Chief Swan’s and which are Bella’s. The Chief tends to favor old westerns and historical dramas, while Bella likes…. huh. 

“You're into superhero movies?” Edward asks when Bella walks back into the living room carrying a bowl of popcorn. 

“Yup, love them,” she says as she sets the bowl down before going over to stand beside him. 

“Well, who's your favorite superhero, then?” Edward asks with a grin. Bella laughs. 

“Oh, babe, there is nowhere near enough time to have  _ that _ conversation,” she says. Edward takes a second to mentally celebrate that apparently he's been upgraded to  _ babe _ status. “Have you seen any of them?” she asks him. 

“No, Emmett and Alice are the ones that have faithfully watched all of them.”

“My kind of people,” she says approvingly. “Well then, we can start with the first movie if you want?”

“Absolutely,” Edward says with a grin. 

**_Thursday_ ** _ : _

“Isabella Marie Swan,” Edward says thoughtfully. It's a beautiful name, very fitting for her. 

“Mmhmm. Named after both of my grandmothers,” Bella says. 

They're in Bella's bedroom, the door kept wide open per Chief Swan’s strict instructions. He keeps walking up and down the stairs pretending to do some sort of housework, just so he can glare at them every single time he passes by the door. Bella's been ignoring him as she lounges on her bed, laying on her stomach with her ankles crossed in the air. Edward, meanwhile, makes sure to stay seated in the rocking chair near her window. It's a beautiful piece of furniture, hand carved wood with an intricate design. Bella tells him that it had been a gift from her father to her mother when Bella was born. 

“Huh, that's interesting,” Edward muses. “I was named after my father.”

“So, Edward the Second?” Bella says with a smile. 

Edward chuckles. “Not quite. My father was Anthony Edward, so I was named Edward Anthony Masen.”

“Wow,” Bella sighs. “If you don't mind me asking, what year were you born?”

Edward ducks his head shyly. He'd known that this would come up eventually, and that he might have to brace himself for Bella's reaction. 

“I was born on June 20, 1901.”

He looks up to see Bella's eyes go wide and her mouth drop open in shock. Honestly, Edward kind of counts it as a victory that she hasn't run from the room yet. 

“So that would make you….”

“115 years old,” Edward says with a sigh. Bella lets out a slow breath, and drops her head onto her bed. He gives her a moment to herself; it is a pretty big bombshell to drop, after all. 

“I probably should have guessed that immortality was part of the whole vampire experience,” Bella mumbles a few minutes later. 

“Does it bother you?” Edward asks, genuinely curious. So far, Bella has taken everything extremely well, in his opinion. He can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop. 

“I wouldn't say that it bothers me. But I have to wonder…” Bella trails off, raising her head to look at him. Edward can see the uncertainty lurking in her eyes. “What do you even see in me? I mean, you're almost 100 years older than I am. You've lived countless lifetimes, and I….I must seem so  _ childish _ to you.”

“ _ No _ , Bella, absolutely not,” Edward says fiercely, flashing over to kneel at the foot of her bed in less than a second. It's the first time she's seen him use his speed up close, and he can hear her breath catch in her throat. “I must be completely honest with you, before we met, I only cared about humanity in that I did not want to kill them.

I’d forgotten what it felt like to really interact with humanity. My family and I, we seclude ourselves for their protection, but we end up….disconnecting from the rest of the world.”

Edward can't remember when was the last time he opened himself up to anybody like this, with full honesty. He can see that there is no judgement in Bella's eyes, not even fear. She is patient with him, her fingers still interlocked with his. 

“But then you came along, and it was like you brought color back into my life. Your smile lights up the room, and your innate kindness sets an example for the rest of us. You are  _ not _ childish by any means. I think, I'm just lucky to be a part of your life, Bella Swan.”

**_Friday_ ** _ : _

“I kind of taught myself how to cook just by watching youtube tutorials,” Bella says with a laugh as she stirs a pot of tomato sauce. Edward watches in fascination as she deftly chops up some oregano and tosses it into the pot, having been ordered to not interfere very sternly (and adorably, Edward thinks) by Bella.

The very first thing she’d told him when she had opened the door to let him in was that she felt better than ever and was ready to go back to school on Monday. If he'd had confetti on hand, Edward might have thrown it into the air. 

Bella's kitchen is on the small side, but very cozy. Edward leans against the counter with his elbows propping him up as Bella works. 

“What got you into cooking in the first place?” he asks curiously. 

“It was equal parts the Food Network and also just wanting to try something new. Renee, bless her heart, isn't a very good cook. So I decided to try my hand at it. Turns out that I was pretty good, so here we are,” says Bella. She has homemade pasta cooking in one pot, a pot of meat sauce simmering in another, and garlic bread in the oven. 

“So, ah, speaking of food,” Edward says with slight wince. “I won't be able to see you this weekend.”

“Oh, that sucks. Why not?”

“Well...I'm going hunting.”

“Oh.” 

Edward waits a minute before it finally clicks with Bella. 

“ _ Oh. _ ”

“Yup.”

“Well…,” she seems to flounder for a bit before squaring her shoulders. “Have fun! I guess?”

Edward laughs, relief washing through him. “Thanks. I will be back by Sunday night, though.”

He's been putting it off for far too long, as was pointed out by Carlisle and Esme this morning. His eyes are now pitch black, not that Bella has commented on it. The hunger gnaws at him even now, persistent as hell. Edward kind of hates himself whenever he finds his mind drifting, only to realize that the only thing he hears is Bella's blood running through her veins. 

“So….what's it like? Hunting, I mean,” Bella's voice interrupts his thoughts. Edward looks up to see her looking curiously at him. 

“Ah...it's weird, honestly. I mean, I'm used to it but it's just…” Edward pauses, struggling to find a comparison without getting  _ too _ graphic. Bella has so far handled the whole vampires-existence thing like a champ, but still. “It's just a way to survive without hurting anyone. There's no real enjoyment like what you would feel when eating your favorite food, for example.”

“Hmm. And, you can't eat actual food, right?”

“Mm, I  _ can _ but I can't digest it. Just comes back up.” 

Bella makes a face, and Edward chuckles. She's done making dinner for herself and Chief Swan, storing it away until her father gets home. 

He helps her clean up the kitchen, and it just feels so  _ domestic _ . Washing the dishes while spontaneously blowing bubbles in each other's faces, and wiping down the counters as Bella sings along to whatever song she has playing from her phone. Edward hasn't felt this happy in the longest time, and it's all thanks to the bright and beautiful girl he was lucky enough to meet. 

* * *

 

The weekend goes by quicker than Edward expects. It's just him, Carlisle, and Esme, so the hunt is smooth and effortless. He drinks more than enough to satisfy his thirst; he can never be too careful, after all. Sunday afternoon rolls around, and he and Esme sit at the edge of a cliff looking out into the wilderness. Carlisle has gone for one last hunt in order to refill their reserves for the house. 

They're sitting in a companionable silence, Esme idly tossing pebbles off the edge of the cliff and Edward leaning back on his elbows, smiling up at the sunny sky when his phone suddenly chimes with a message from Bella. It's a selfie of her, lounging in her porch swing. She's got a book raised up to hide the majority of her face, only peeking out to give a sly smirk. The book is a worn copy of the first Harry Potter book, and Edward almost laughs out loud. He'd remarked offhandedly to Bella earlier in the week that he hasn't read any of the Potter series, which had kicked off an hour long discussion about why Edward should immediately change that. 

Before he can think twice about it, he texts her back the heart emoji and makes the picture his phone background, putting it away with the biggest grin on his face. Edward looks up to see Esme smiling sweetly at him. 

“I see it's going well with Bella. How is she recovering?”

“She's better now, and ready to go back to school tomorrow,” says Edward. 

“I'm glad. And...everything else?”

“She's adapting, and handling the truth about our kind very well. Honestly...everything with her is going so  _ well _ . I've, ah, kind of been waiting for the other shoe to drop,” he admits. 

“Oh, my dear, don't do that,” Esme says gently, reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. “You can't live like that, expecting the worst outcome. You'll just be putting unnecessary pressure on yourself and her, as well. Relax, and enjoy your time together. Whatever happens in the future...happens. We'll be here to help you through it, whatever it may be.”

Edward relaxes under her touch, a slight ache in his heart as he is reminded that his own mother used to do the exact same thing to comfort him as a child. Esme has an amazing gift of saying just the right thing at the right time to make one feel better. 

“You're right,” he sighs eventually, pulling back to give his adoptive mother a hug. He can hear Carlisle coming up behind them, the heavy scent of animal blood emanating from him. 

“She usually is,” Carlisle says lightly. Edward chuckles before standing and offering his hand to Esme to help her up as well. Together, they set off back home. 

The night passes uneventfully, Edward deciding to download the Potter series just to indulge Bella, and getting unwittingly sucked into the books. Before he knows it, he's on the 5th book, the sun has risen, and it's time to go to school. 

“You riding with us today?” Emmett asks him on his way out the door. Jasper and Alice have already left, and Rosalie is waiting in the car. 

“Mmm, no,” Edward says with a wicked grin, an idea flashing into his mind. Emmett just chuckles at him, throwing a “good luck” over his shoulder as he leaves. Edward pulls out his phone to call Bella. 

“Morning, sunshine,” she says cheerfully. Honestly, just hearing her voice makes him want to sing, it's ridiculous. She sounds so much better than the week prior, any trace of the flu that she has been fighting gone now. 

“Good morning, Bella. Did you rest well?”

“Yeah, thank god. I'm feeling great!”

“Excellent! So, I have an idea.”

“Oookay…”

“Would you like to ride with me to school today?”

“Now why would I want to do that?” she purrs, and it sends an honest to god shiver down his back. She's flirting with him, and it's  _ irresistible _ . 

“Well, I think it would be more convenient,” Edward drawls lazily, and Bella laughs. 

“You're gonna tell me that my house isn't out of the way for you?”

“Not  _ that _ much,” he says with a grin. They both know that her house is absolutely out of his usual commute to school, but Bella, bless her, plays along. 

“Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll ride with you today, only if you agree to ride with me tomorrow. I miss driving Bonnie,” she says and Edward pumps his fist in the air in victory, thankful that he's the only one home right now. 

“Deal. I'll pick you up in a bit.”

“I'll see you soon.”

They hang up, and Edward heads towards the garage. If he were ever asked what his family’s weakness was, Edward would have to say: cars. They each have their own cars, all different makes and models and colors and sizes. The only thing they all have in common is speed. 

Edward honestly debates taking Carlisle’s Aston Martin for 30 seconds, before dismissing it as a little  _ too _ flashy. Emmett’s Hummer is just too big, and Alice’s Porsche is too small for him. That just leaves his own Volvo, sleek and silver with its dark tinted windows. 

He takes the car and sets out for Bella’s house. Before long, he's parking out front as Bella walks out her front door. She's wearing  _ his _ coat, and Edward just can't  _ not _ be next to her anymore. He leaves the engine running and flits to her side. She laughs when she sees him, apparently having gotten used to watching him use his speed. 

“Hi,” she says with a shy smile. Edward smiles back and reaches out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. 

“Hi yourself. I missed you,” he says with a happy sigh at being with Bella again. Her cheeks are a rosy hue, and her beautiful brown eyes clear and alight. 

“I missed you as well,” she admits. 

He watches as a hesitant look passes over her face, but before he can worry about it, it's replaced by resolve in her eyes. 

“Can I…” she says softly, reaching up to wind her arms around his neck. “...kiss you?”

Edward sighs softly; their faces are close now, so close he can count each freckle on her face and see the light dance in her eyes. Her breath washes over him, and her heartbeat picks up in pace. Bella is all around him, the only being that matters right now. She is full of life and joy, and in this moment, Edward can truly admit to himself that he is fully in love with her. 

“Yes,” he whispers, closing the small distance between them. Their lips touch, and it feels like coming home. He wraps his arms around her waist and suddenly lifts her up as she laughs into their kiss, running her fingers through his hair. Edward takes care to be gentle with her, as she is as light as a feather to him. 

Finally, they part, and he can see his own happiness mirrored in her gaze. Her lips are a bold red now, and he can't help but nip her bottom lip with his teeth playfully, irresistible in all ways. She laughs again before leaning back in to lay a trail of kisses along his jaw, Edward craning his neck to give her better access. 

“I'm not gonna lie, I’ve been thinking about this all week,” she says, nuzzing into his neck. He puts her back down, but refuses to let go of Bella. 

“That makes two of us,” he replies softly. “But...we really should be going now.”

“Ugh. Are you sure?” she mumbles, brushing her lips back and forth against his neck, and  _ damn _ if that doesn't feel good. Edward lets out a breathy moan, and really considers the possibility of just not going to school. 

But…

“If we don't go, my siblings will never let me live it down. And believe me, it's an eternity with them,” he says reluctantly, letting her go and stepping back just so he can get a single coherent thought back into his head. Bella's face is flushed and her pupils dilated, and it takes a herculean effort to just not pull her back inside the house to be alone together. 

She sighs in defeat before reaching up to fix his hair. “To be continued then,” she says. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Edward says with a grin full of promises. Together, they head towards his car and set off to school. 

“So how many people do you think we're gonna piss off today?” Bella asks cheerfully, reaching over to intertwine their hands together. Edward snorts before dropping a kiss on the back of her hand. 

“Everyone, if I had to guess,” he says. The drive itself doesn't take very long, 15 minutes at most. They join the line of cars getting into the parking lot, and soon Edward can't really help himself and parks right at the front, in full view of everyone. 

Bella snickers at him. “You're kind of a narcissist, aren't you?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny,” he says with a wink. “Stay there for a sec, will you?”

Bella gives him a slightly confused look but nods nonetheless. Edward cuts the engine and gets out, strolling over to the other side and opening Bella's door with a flourish. She stares up at him in disbelief for a split second before bursting out in laughter. He grins back and offers her his hand, which she takes. 

Heads start to turn the moment he shuts the door and pulls Bella close to him with an arm around her shoulders. She doesn't seem to mind, much to his delight. She just reaches up to keep holding their hands together, sighing in content and relaxing into his side. 

“This should be an interesting day,” is all she says as she waves cheerfully at Lauren and Tyler as they walk past, Lauren’s face turning an interesting shade of purple as Tyler’s mouth drops open in shock. 

“At least you don't have to hear what they're thinking,” Edward says with a smirk. 

They had had the whole “Edward-has-mind-reading-abilities” conversation already, Bella taking in that development just as calmly as everything else. (It helped when Edward told her she was the only one immune to his ability.)

“Probably for the best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys know that awesome feeling when you get over one hell of a writers block? that's me right now. 
> 
> as always, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	7. girl’s mom meets boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's (almost) Turkey Day! It's also time for boy to meet girl's mom (spoiler: he knocks it out of the park).

_two months later_

“If it’s gonna be this cold out, then I want to see snow,” Bella says with a frown up at the cloudy sky. Edward chuckles as he winds his scarf around her neck.

“I kind of think you’re exaggerating,” he says with a lopsided grin. She rolls her eyes at him, flicking the ends of the scarf in his direction.

“You’re literally the last person I want to hear commenting on how cold it is.”

It’s Saturday, and they’re in Port Angeles on a day date. It’s cold enough that Bella can see her breath fog out, but apparently not cold enough to turn the constant rain into actual snow. Moving from Phoenix to Forks, she’s been hoping and praying for a white Christmas in December.

But first, she has to survive Thanksgiving. Speaking of…

Bella sneaks a glance at Edward; he’s looking with interest into the window of a bookstore they’re walking past, eyeing what seems to be an older book that’s thicker than all of Bella’s textbooks combined.

“Hey babe?”

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering...are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?” Bella asks him, and he turns back to look at her in surprise.

“Mmm, not really. I mean, it's just another day for us, honestly. Why do you ask?”

Bella purses her lips for a second. She's been trying to work up the nerve to talk to Edward about this for weeks now, and now that she has, she wants to get it right.

“Because I was kind of hoping you'd like to spend the holiday with me and my family….in Phoenix,” she says slowly, and then holds her breath to watch his reaction. His eyes widen briefly in surprise, before he gives her a beautiful smile.

“I’d be honored to, Bella.”

Bella lets out the breath that she’d been holding, and smiles back at him. She links their hands together, and they continue strolling down the sidewalk.

These last couple of months have been nothing short than a dream come true for Bella. Being with Edward, she finally understands why there are _so many_ songs and stories and art about being in love. And Bella knows for a fact that she’s in love with Edward. She knows it down to the bone.

It’s in the way that they balance each other out, and in the way that they try to uplift each other every day. It’s in the small things, like Bella finding a small pack of Hershey’s kisses from him in her bag when she’s having a bad day, or how sometimes she’ll find a handwritten note from him in her locker with their favorite song lyrics.

It’s in the way that even though he’s a more powerful force than anything she’s ever encountered, he always makes himself pliable beneath her hands. It’s in the way that she knows that his favorite color is gold because it’s the first color he sees at dawn, and that his favorite food used to be roast beef, and that sometimes late at night when he’s feeling particularly vulnerable is when he misses Elizabeth, his mother, the most.

Having Edward by her side feels like being home, in a way that Bella’s never really felt before, either in Phoenix or in Forks. So yeah, this has to be love.

Now if only she could work up the courage to actually _tell him_ , that would be nice.

For all of the joy that they both feel being together, there’s always a darkness nagging at the back of both of their minds. Bella’s been very accepting of the fact that she’s dating a vampire; she knows that he and his family drink animal blood to stay alive, that they don’t sleep, and that they live forever. His family has also been accepting of her, to both of their relief. Carlisle and Esme had welcomed her with open arms into their home the first time she went to visit, and his siblings were equally as accommodating.

She and Alice were now basically inseparable, Bella having found a kindred spirit in her. Meanwhile, she and Emmett had bonded over their mutual love of superhero movies and video games. Jasper usually kept a healthy distance from her, just in case, as Edward had explained to her. But he was also nice to her in his own way, texting her book recommendations that he thought she’d enjoy. Surprisingly, Bella had also managed to become friends with Rosalie as well. The second that Bella had laid eyes on Rosalie’s gorgeous Jeep Rubicon, that was it for her. Once they’d found something they had in common, it was easy for Bella to spot Rosalie’s humanity under her ice queen exterior, and slowly try to coax it out.

So here they are living day by day in the moment, and taking things slow. Bella’s never been in what you might call a “serious relationship”. Yeah, she’s had a couple of boyfriends before, but no one that she’s ever introduced to her parents. She’s never had someone that she’s envisioned in her future plans before. Bella knows that she loves Edward, and she’s fairly sure that he loves her back. But...they’ve somehow ended up skirting around actually saying those three words aloud to each other.

If she had to guess, it’s because telling Edward she loves him...makes _this_ all real. There’s no going back after that. Saying it means saying that she’s in it for the long haul, for better or for worse. It means thinking about the future, not just for her, but for _them_. And that in itself is a scary thought.

Bella’s train of thought is broken suddenly, by the feeling of a raindrop hitting her on the nose.

“Oh shit,” she says, as Edward grabs her arm and pulls her underneath the nearest store awning. Just in time too, as the heavens choose this moment to open up and pour gallons of rain down on them.

“Please try not to get sick this time,” he tells her with a wry grin. She laughs at him before winding her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. His arms go around her as well, and to any onlookers, they’re just a normal couple seeking shelter from the rain. No one knows that when her head is pressed against his chest like it is now, she can’t hear his heartbeat.

 

* * *

 

“I still can’t believe you convinced Edward to go meet the rest of your family,” Rosalie mutters as Alice snickers.

“I honestly didn’t have to convince him, he just said yes,” Bella tells her with a shrug. Rosalie just shakes her head sadly at her.

It’s been two weeks since Bella asked Edward to go to Phoenix with her, and they along with Charlie are getting on a plane tomorrow. Somehow, she’d miraculously convinced Charlie to book evening plane tickets instead of morning tickets so that by the time they land, it’ll be dark outside. She’d checked the weather already, and it’s supposed to be pretty cloudy for the most part, for which they’re both thankful. Still, she knows he’s only packing long sleeve shirts and pants, and Bella’s probably gonna have fun getting him to wear an assortment of hats.

“Does your father usually go down with you to your mother’s house?” Alice asks her curiously. They’re at the Cullen house, in Alice and Jasper’s bedroom. It’s huge and gorgeous, all classic furniture and a beautiful mix of both of their personalities.

“Yeah, usually he flies down to spend my Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks with me, and I’d come up here for some of my summer breaks.”

“But...isn’t it weird?” Alice asks, before her eyes widen in horror. “I mean, I’m sorry if that sounds insensitive!”

Bella laughs. “Don’t worry about it! Honestly, it’s not weird at all. My parents don’t hate each other or anything like that. They just ended up...not working out together.”

Saying it aloud like that, she can’t help but think of herself and Edward, before ruthlessly squashing it down. She’s not gonna let herself think like that, not ever. Because the day that she starts doubting herself and him is the day their relationship just tanks.

“Anyways, they get along for the most part. And Phil, my stepdad, he’s cool too and we get along. My parents have just always made it a point to spend the holidays together for my sake.”

Suddenly, Rosalie cocks her head to the side, which usually means that they’re listening to something far away that Bella could never hope to hear. Then, she laughs and aims a smirk at Bella.

“Poor little Edward is panicking because he just realized he doesn’t have a gift for your mother.”

Bella stares at Rosalie in disbelief for a split second before bursting out laughing. She laughs until she’s basically hiccuping, and then manages to say, “You don’t need to get her a gift, babe, I promise.”

Rosalie cocks her head to the side again before rolling her eyes at the ceiling. “You heard her, Edward. Stop shitting yourself and finish packing.”

“So eloquent, Rose,” Alice says with a smirk. Rosalie flashes her a quick smile as Bella stands and stretches.

“Actually, he’s taking me home now. I, uh, need to pack still.”

The girls stare blankly at her before Alice says slowly, “You mean, you haven’t started yet?”

“Nope,” Bella answers cheerfully.

“You know you’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Yup!”

“You’re suicidal,” Rosalie groans, putting her head into her hands.

“No, I’m just a terrible procrastinator.”

Bella sees a wicked grin flash across Alice’s face, which usually means bad things for her, before Alice says loudly, “Well, lucky you have a boyfriend with superhuman speed that can help you. I bet he’ll be happy to pick out all your clothes, and even your underwear.”

Bella chokes on her own spit, and she can feel her face going beet red as they hear a crash from the upstairs floor. A second later, Edward appears at the door to glare at his sisters.

“You are literally terrible,” he tells Alice point blank as she laughs at him. Bella covers her flaming red cheeks with her hands as she turns hopeless eyes to her boyfriend.

“We’re leaving. Bye everyone, see you next week! Should be a fantastic vacation away from you idiots,” she announces, a chorus of goodbyes and laughter coming from wherever the rest of the household are. Rosalie blows them a kiss as Alice is still laughing at them as they walk out of the house.

 

* * *

 

 

Bella can’t help but bounce in her seat in excitement, staring out of the window of the airplane to get her first glimpse of her hometown. She’s gripping Edward’s hand tightly, and she knows that he must be listening to her heart beat like crazy. She can’t help but be nervous, after all, she hadn’t been expecting to bring a boyfriend home for the holidays this year. Bella’s been praying all week that Renee approves of Edward, just like Charlie does. The man himself is sitting in the aisle seat, calmly reading some paperback he’d bought at the airport in Seattle.

“If you bounce any higher, kiddo, you’ll tear a hole in the top of the plane,” Charlie drawls, not looking up from his book. Edward snickers, and she rolls her eyes at them both before going back to staring out the window.

“Oh!” she gasps, before Edward leans his head on her shoulder to look out with her. Phoenix from the sky is beautiful, especially at night.

“Welcome home, Bella,” he whispers into her ear, so low that Charlie can’t hear. An involuntary shiver runs down her spine at his words and at the feeling of his lips so close. With frantically booking tickets and preparing for their trip, Bella and Edward haven’t had much alone time together for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, this probably won’t change much once they’re in their mother’s house. Edward had tried to insist that he stay in the nearby hotel with Charlie, but Renee had told Bella not to let him, that they had more than enough room in her’s and Phil’s new home.

Now _that_ had raised both Bella and Charlie’s eyebrows, but so far neither had commented on it. As long as Renee is happy, Bella is happy for her.

Before she knows it, the plane lands and they're making their way through the airport. Bella has to actively refrain from skipping, choosing instead to hum cheerfully and swing her’s and Edward's interlocked hands. Edward smiles brilliantly at her, and Charlie just chuckles.

“I don't know how you're looking forward to this week, with all the work you have to do,” Charlie comments, and Edward furrows his brow in confusion.

“What work?”

“Well, Bella’s always the one who takes charge of cooking.”

Edward looks disbelieving at Bella. “You're cooking all of it?”

“Yup!” Bella replies with a grin. “You and I are going sightseeing tomorrow, and I hope you enjoy that because after that is when I lock myself in the kitchen and boss everyone around. And this year, that includes you too.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Edward drawls, sending her a wicked grin that has her blushing furiously, feeling like an electric current is running through her body. Charlie, blessedly, doesn’t notice; he’s gotten really good at turning a blind eye to their flirting in his presence.

Pretty soon, they’re past the luggage carousels and heading into the front of the airport, and then Bella gets her first glimpse of Renee and Phil.

It’s kind of funny, how she looks the same as always. Renee’s hair is pulled up in a messy top bun, and she’s wearing what Bella knows is her favorite dress. When Renee spots them, she starts bouncing around and waving cheerfully, and Bella can’t help the happy tears that suddenly spill out of her.

“Go,” Edward murmurs quietly, grabbing Bella’s bag out of her hand, and then Bella’s sprinting away and into her mother’s arms.

“Oh, my sweet girl, I’ve missed you,” Renee says into Bella’s hair, and she can hear the tears in her voice as well.

“I’ve missed you too,” Bella says with a watery chuckle. After a minute, she steps back and they both laugh, wiping the tears from each other’s face. She turns to face Phil and gives him a quick hug as well.

“Good to see ya, kid. Have a good trip?”

“Yeah, it was totally fine,” Bella answers, before looking over her shoulder. Charlie takes that as his cue to come up and shake both Phil and Renee’s hands.

“Good to see you again, Charlie.”

“You too.”

Bella, meanwhile, takes a deep breath and grabs Edward’s hand again. He gives her a small reassuring smile before stepping up to stand next to her.

“Uh, mom, Phil, this is Edward, my…” _best friend, lover, the light of my life_ , Bella thinks quickly before settling on, “...boyfriend.”

Edward puts on his most charming smile, and Bella has to work to not laugh out loud.

“It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dwyer. Bella's told me so much about you,” he says smoothly. Bella can see Renee blush slightly, and manages to turn her snicker into a cough.

“It's good to meet you too, Edward. Welcome to Phoenix,” Phil says cheerfully, after a knowing glance at Bella. “Charlie, did you want us to drop you off at your hotel?”

“Nah, I have my rental car set up. I'll see you all tomorrow,” Charlie says, hefting his bag over his shoulder. He gives Bella a quick kiss on her cheek and pats Edward on the shoulder. “You two make sure to get some rest, y’hear?”

“Yes, Chief,” both Bella and Edward say at the same time, giving him a salute. It's become sort of an inside joke between the three of them, and Charlie just snorts.

“Little upstarts,” Charlie says fondly, before walking off, Bella giggling and Edward shaking his head with a smile on his face. She catches Renee watching them with a strange look on her face, but before she can ask her about it, Phil grabs their bags and they're heading out to the car.

On the way home, Bella makes sure to point out all of her favorite spots to Edward. He indulges her with a sweet smile, listening intently to all of her stories about her childhood. She loves being able to share this side of her life with him.

They drive by the apartment where she grew up, and where they were living before she moved to Forks, when Bella asks, “So, how do you guys like your new place?”

“Oh, we love it! There's so much space, and it's beautiful. You'll always have your own room for when you come to visit, plus a guest room, and...well. You'll see for yourself!”

Beside her, Bella can feel Edward tense up suddenly. She gives him a questioning look, but he just shakes his head at her. That usually means he's heard something, either spoken or thought. Bella can't even begin to imagine what it is, so she figures she'll interrogate him later.

Before long, they’re pulling up to the driveway of Renee and Phil’s home, and wow, they weren’t kidding about how big it is. It’s a classic family home, complete with a rose garden in front and a white picket fence. Kind of weird, considering Renee’s never been one for traditional, but hey what does Bella know?

“I’ll show you to your rooms, and let you two get some rest. I’m sure you have lots of plans for tomorrow!” Renee says cheerfully. Bella just smiles at her as they climb out of the car and into the house.

“Oh, wow, this is nice,” Bella breathes out, looking all around. There’s a staircase immediately to the right when they walk in, and she can see the living room to the left, and the kitchen straight ahead. They head upstairs, Renee leading the way, and stop at one of the doors.

“We'll see Bella’s room, and Edward you'll be in the room next to hers. I hope you like it!” she says, before opening the door and turning on the light.

Bella sucks in a surprised breath; It’s beautiful, honestly. She’s got a four-poster bed now, cream colored drapes surrounding her bed. The room is decorated in light blues and lavenders, just like Bella loves.

“It’s amazing, mom. Thank you,” Bella says finally, going in to give Renee a hug. Behind her, she sees Edward peek his head in and give an approving nod.

“You're welcome, my sweet girl. Now get some sleep, I'll see you both in the morning.”

“‘Night, mom.”

“Good night, Mrs. Dwyer.”

Renee shuts the door behind her, and finally, Bella and Edward are alone.

“Alrighty well, that went better than I expected,” she says with a laugh. Edward grins at her; “Pretty sure that's exactly what you said when I met Charlie, too.”

“So? What do you think?” Bella asks him. She throws herself back onto the bed, arms stretched out over her head. Edward lays next to her on his stomach, head propped up on his arms.

“Your mother is a sweet woman, and Phil adores her.”

“Good. That's good. I mean, not that I had any doubts about them, but it's kind of reassuring to have a mind reader confirm what I already know,” she says with a chuckle.

They lay there in silence for a moment, just staring at each other. She can feel how tired she is, but she just doesn't want to take her eyes off of him.

Bella reaches over with one hand and places her palm on Edward's cheek. He leans into the touch and closes his eyes, and she loves how peaceful he looks.

“I'm glad you're here, with me,” she whispers, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by how much she loves him. She knows he can't read her mind, but when he opens his eyes and looks at her, it's almost like he knows anyway.

“Anything for you, my Bella,” he whispers back, before leaning over to press a gentle kiss on her lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello, the time skip was mostly because i needed a fresh start, and also because i'm likely not going to update again til around thanksgiving. thank you again for all of your support!


	8. boy has feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it’s Thanksgiving! there are surprises! there are confessions! there are feelings! tune in!

Edward watches in fascination as the phenomena that is Hurricane Bella tears through her mother’s kitchen on Thanksgiving Day with a deadly kind of focus. She has about ten things that she’s working on, all at once. Watching her move is like watching an expert in her field; to the casual onlooker everything just looks like organized chaos, but Edward knows there’s meaning behind every movement.

As her boyfriend, he’d felt obligated to offer some kind of help as she prepped for her family’s Thanksgiving feast on her own. All she’d done in response was shove a cutting board, a knife, and just about his weight in vegetables in his direction before turning her attention back to the many different tasks before her.

“I’m not entirely sure that she won’t throw a knife in my direction,” Edward remarks to Charlie when he pokes his head into the kitchen to see how they’re doing.

“Just don’t talk to her, son,” Charlie tells him with a wry grin. “You’re more likely to survive that way.”

“Duly noted,” Edward says with a smile. “Oh, uh, Chief?”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe it would be a good idea to suggest an outing with Renee and Phil while we do what we can here?” Edward suggests with a raised brow as he chops. Out of the corner of his eye he spots Bella look up at them.

“Mom has been kind of...hovering, a little. Pretty weird, to be honest,” Bella adds with a small frown.

Edward had also noticed it; Renee would try and interject herself in Bella’s process to try and help in her own way, but Edward could see that it did more harm than help. Bella would gently prod her away and encourage her to attend to Phil and Charlie, but then Renee would be back, and the cycle would repeat. He could see that it was affecting Bella’s attention, distracting her and making her upset. But of course, Bella would never say a word about it to Renee.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Charlie says gruffly. “Tell you the truth, I think we’re all going a little stir crazy.”

“There’s a small Thanksgiving Day parade going on downtown, I think she’d like to go,” Bella suggests as she absently stirs a pot of sauce.

“Consider it done. You sure you don’t need any more help?”

“Nah, I’ve got all the help I need right here,” Bella says breezily with a grin thrown at Edward. Charlie just laughs.

“Try not to let her run you into the ground, son.”

It takes Charlie some convincing on his part to convince Renee to leave Bella and Edward alone, so much so that even Phil interjects to try and convince her. But finally, the door closes behind the three of them, and Bella lets out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god. I love her to death, but they needed to leave,” Bella says, putting down her spoon and stretching her arms up over her head. “Now...we can cheat.”

“Oh?” Edward says curiously, feigning innocence as if he doesn’t know where she’s going with this.

“I figure, I should _really_ take advantage of a boyfriend who has super speed,” Bella says with a wicked grin that Edward mirrors right back.

Soon, the kitchen turns into a literal whirlwind, as Hurricane Edward blows around with Bella at the center of the storm. They manage to find a way to work in tandem, Bella throwing out instructions and ingredients for Edward to pluck out of the air and get to work on. And all the while, Bella laughs as her ponytail whips around her face, trying to watch as he condenses eight hours of work into one.

After, when the turkey is in the oven and everything else is taken care of, Edward and Bella collapse on the couch and into each other’s arms.

“Oh look, you have gravy on your face,” Bella says cheerfully, and before Edward can wipe it away, she licks it away from his jaw and effectively short circuits his brain.

“Please don’t start something we can’t finish,” Edward pleads as Bella continues to ravish his jaw, even as he cranes his neck to give her better access.

“Uh, excuse you, I am the queen of follow through,” she replies cheekily, moving to straddle his lap. Edward’s traitorous hands automatically move to her hips, and for a brief moment he lets himself get lost in her kisses, her movement, her sounds, her smell, her being, her light. Edward doesn’t know where he ends and she begins, and is content to keep it that way until the end of time, except…

“Your parents _will_ be home soon,” Edward finally sighs, gently pulling Bella’s hands out from underneath his shirt and kissing her pout away.

“Party pooper,” she says, sticking her tongue out at him, and Edward laughs.

“As much as the Chief seems to actually like me, he doesn’t need to see you on top of me. Chances are, he’ll try to shoot me on principle, and it’ll just get awkward.”

Bella snorts but with a sigh of defeat, she moves to just lay against Edward and lean her head on his shoulder. Edward closes his eyes and cards his fingers through her hair; soon, her even breathing lulls him into a sense of peace.

“Hey, babe?” He hears Bella ask, a note of hesitation in her voice.

“Mmm?”

“Is something wrong with my mom?” Bella asks, and Edward opens his eyes to look at her. She’s got her bottom lip caught between her teeth in worry, a frown crossing her beautiful face. Edward purses his lips, debating exactly how much to tell her.

“I...wouldn’t say that anything is wrong,” he starts. “Just...different. I’m surprised she hasn’t talked to you yet, honestly. What tipped you off?”

“Just, her behavior in general. She’s been more fussy and hovering, which is out of character for her. I don’t know, really. My gut was just telling me that something was off with her,” Bella confesses, and Edward feels a stab of guilt for not bringing this up with her earlier. His mind reading abilities give him a hell of an advantage, and Edward realizes that he tends to rely on them to get information about another person and what they’re thinking and feeling.

But with Bella, he sometimes finds himself caught off guard by her. And what does that say about him, that he can’t even figure out when his girlfriend is feeling worried or upset about something this important?

“I’m sorry for not saying anything earlier, Bella,” Edward says with a downward twist to his mouth. “I honestly thought your mother would have said something to you by now. I didn’t realize how much it was worrying you.”

“Have you known about it since we got here?” Bella asks him and Edward nods. “Why haven’t you said anything about whatever it is?”

“Because…,” Edward hesitates. “Like I said, it’s _not_ bad news, just...unexpected. And the whole mind reader thing...I recognize that it’s an invasion of privacy for everyone around me, with your exception, of course. It’s not my place to tell you when she’ll be the one to talk to you about it. And she _will_ talk to you about it, I’m guessing later tonight.”

Bella purses her lips in thought, and Edward prays that she’s not too upset with him. Finally, she says, “I trust your judgment, so I’ll wait for her to bring it up. I just...even if you don’t feel comfortable telling me outright, when it concerns my family, at least give me a heads up or something, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Edward murmurs back, pressing his forehead to Bella’s in apology. Bella caresses his cheek in forgiveness, and all's right with them once more.  

 

* * *

 

Apparently they’re eating outside, to Edward’s amusement, as later on in the evening Charlie tugs him outside to help him and Phil set the table. He also suspects it’s to give Bella and Renee a moment alone to talk. When the three of them had returned to the house earlier that day, Edward immediately had known that Renee and Phil had shared the news with Charlie. Edward thought he was taking it pretty well, all things considering.

He can hear Bella and Renee’s voices in the background from inside the house, a quiet murmur that he tries to block out, to try and give them as much privacy as possible.

“I don’t know how you can wear long sleeves like that in this heat,” Phil remarks to him with a wry grin that Edward returns.

“They’re actually pretty light, and I tend to run cold anyways,” he says with a light laugh. The sun is setting around them, thankfully hidden behind clouds. Bella hadn’t been kidding when she’d told him it would be cloudy all week for their stay, and Edward sends out numerous thanks to whatever deity might be listening. Phil and Renee’s backyard is covered in fairy lights and lanterns, obviously Renee’s influence. It gives the area a sort of ethereal glow, warm and comforting and inviting. The boys are setting up a long picnic table with tablecloths, plates, silverware, etc.

A sudden high pitched shriek has the boys turn their heads towards the house, and Edward has to hide his smile. So Renee finally told Bella the news.

“Finally,” Phil murmurs with a grin. “I was wondering how long Renee wanted to keep it to herself.” Then, looking up at Edward, Phil smiles bashfully. “Renee’s pregnant.”

Edward puts on his best ‘happily surprised’ face and reaches out to shake Phil’s hand. “Congratulations to you both.”

“Thanks. Pretty unexpected, but hey. Life’s full of surprises,” Phil says, and Charlie claps him on the shoulder.

“Fatherhood is the best ride in the world. Just enjoy every step. ‘Cause before you know it, your little girl is bringing home her boyfriend for you to meet,” Charlie says with a smirk at Edward, and he laughs.

“To be fair, we were already there waiting for you to come home,” Edward says with a grin, and lets his hair be ruffled by Charlie in retaliation.

Behind them, the porch doors open and Renee and Bella walk out into the backyard, bringing the last of the food with them. Bella’s beaming, and both have red rimmed eyes like they’ve been crying. Edward wraps his arm around Bella’s shoulder and drops a quick kiss on her temple before offering Renee a big smile.

“Phil told me the good news, congratulations,” he says warmly, and Renee smiles back at him.

“Thank you, my dear. I guess we have a lot to be thankful for this year,” Renee says with a laugh.

Together, they finish setting everything up and settle in to eat. Thankfully, Bella manages to pass Edward a plate before anyone else can, with the smallest amount of food that she can get away with and an apologetic look in her eyes. Edward squeezes her hand quickly to try and soothe her; they’d known coming into this that sooner or later he would have to eat with her family. Thanksgiving is a very food-centric holiday, after all. At this point, Edward thinks as he takes the plate from her, there isn’t anything on Earth that he wouldn’t do to make Bella happy.

“So!” Renee starts as she claps her hands. “Before we can tuck into this gorgeous meal that our lovely chefs have prepared,” she says with a nod to Bella and Edward, “we usually go around the table and share a few things that we’re thankful for!”

“Why don’t you start, mom?” Bella suggests, and Renee beams at her.

“Okay! As usual, I’m thankful for my family. My sweet Phil, I’m thankful everyday that I get to spend the rest of my life with you,” she says with an adoring look at her husband. “Charlie, you know that we will always be family, no matter what, and I’m thankful that you’re spending so much more time with our daughter now.”

Charlie and Renee share a quick grin filled with camaraderie, and Edward can’t help but be impressed with the strength of their relationship even after their marriage didn’t work out. They remained friends for the sake of their daughter, and along the way developed a lasting friendship with no regrets or remorse at all.

“Edward,” Renee turns to him, and Edward looks at her with faint surprise. He hadn’t been expecting her to say something about him, having only met each other this week. “I’m thankful to have been able to meet you, and to get to know you. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But seeing how you treat my sweet girl with the utmost respect and care is very reassuring. And it doesn’t hurt that Charlie and Bella speak very highly of you. You’re a very sweet boy, and I’m thankful that Bella has someone like you by her side.”

 _Oh._ Edward certainly hadn’t been expecting _that._  He feels a sudden lump in his throat even as he smiles broadly at Renee. She reminds him so much of Elizabeth in this moment, with her kindness and grace and acceptance. Bella seems to understand, as he feels her intertwine their hands under the table.

“My sweet girl,” Renee continues, turning to face her daughter, who smiles back at her. “I have been thankful for you from the moment I learned of your existence. I am so proud of the young woman you have grown to be, full of life and joy and love. I’m thankful everyday that I get to be your mother.”

Bella smiles through the tears tracking down her face, reaching across the table to squeeze her mother’s hand. “I’m thankful I get to be your daughter, too.”

“And lastly, I’m thankful for this little baby that’s growing inside of me. Whoever you are, my baby, you’re gonna be the most loved little one in the whole wide world.”

Edward can only silently agree with Renee; he can see that Bella gets her innate kindness, her ability to see the best in everyone around her from Renee. Surrounded by all of these wonderful people, that baby will absolutely be very much loved.

“Well, I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna follow that,” Phil says with a laugh. “But I’ll do my best.”

Both Phil and Charlie say their heartfelt thanks, and then it’s Edward’s turn. “I’m thankful to you for opening your home to me so graciously,” he says, addressing Phil and Renee. “It was a pleasure to spend time with you and to get to know you better.”

Renee reaches out her other hand that isn’t holding Bella’s hand to briefly grab Edward’s free hand, giving him a warm smile which he returns gratefully.

“Of course, I’m thankful to the Chief for letting me step foot inside his house at all,” Edward continues with a smirk aimed at Charlie, who just laughs at him.

“And most importantly…,” Edward says, turning to look at Bella. The soft lighting casts a glow around Bella, as she smiles just as radiant as the day they met. “I’m thankful for you, my sun and stars.”

Bella beams brightly at him, and Edward can see his own happiness mirrored in her gaze.

“I guess it’s my turn!” Bella says with a smile. “I am thankful for getting to visit mom and Phil for the holidays, I missed you guys a lot. I’m thankful that I get to spend so much time with dad, ‘cause I feel like we’re getting to know each other a lot better now than we did before. And as for you,” she addresses Edward, “I’m thankful for you, moon of my life.” And as an afterthought, adds, “And also thankful you agreed to watch Game of Thrones with me.”

“It was actually better than I was expecting, and it’s one less thing that my siblings can nag at me about,” Edward says cheerfully.

“In this house, we love and respect our Khaleesi,” Phil deadpans, and he and Bella exchange a fist bump.

Renee beams broadly at everyone and says, “Alright, well if that’s it, then lets eat!”

 

* * *

 

“You don’t have to stay up with me, you know,” Edward reminds Bella later that evening in the bathroom, still in the process of having to throw up everything he “ate”. Bella frowns at him.

“It’s my fault you had to eat food. The least I can do is not let you be alone.”

Edward huffs a laugh as he sits on the floor, leaning against the bathtub. Bella sits across from him, her back leaning against the door.

“It’s not your fault; I made a conscious decision, knowing what the consequences would be. It’s not the first time and I know it won’t be the last time. We’re used to having to blend in with the humans, and eating food is just a part of that,” Edward says with a shrug. He’s made his peace with that for a very long time, it doesn’t even faze him anymore.

It’s almost 3:00 am; everyone else is fast asleep. Their return flight back to Seattle is at noon, later today.

“Have you packed yet?” He asks Bella, and she snorts.

“Nope. I’m just dumping my dirty laundry in my bags and letting Future Me take care of it.”

Edward laughs, shaking his head. “Never change, my Bella.”

She grins back at him, and they fall back into an easy silence. It occurs to Edward that this is the first time in a _long_ time that someone else has tried to “take care” of him. That’s not to say that his family doesn’t care or anything like that. But, they’re vampires; there’s no need to worry about another’s health or welfare. There’s a certain kind of ‘isolation’, even as they all live together. One or two of them could disappear for a few days, and no one would worry or question it because why would they? As long as they keep the peace with their own kind and stay out of the werewolves’ territory, they’re fine.

But Bella...she’s different. She worries and cares about him, in a way that he hasn’t experienced since before his transition. And she doesn’t do it out if any sort of feelings of obligation or anything like that. She does it because she wants to, because it’s in her nature.

“I can’t believe I spent a century of my existence without you,” Edward says quietly, and smiles at the blush that rises on her cheeks.

After a minute, Bella says thoughtfully, “It’s weird to think about, isn’t it?”

“Hm?”

“How, if Carlisle hadn’t decided to turn you, we never would have met.”

Edward blinks at her in surprise; honestly, that hadn’t occurred to him before.

“Yeah,” he says with a sigh. “You know, I spent so much time mad at him for that?”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Edward sighs, running a hand through his hair. He doesn’t like remembering that time in his life, right after his transition. But Bella deserves to know all about him; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

“When I was seventeen, I caught the spanish influenza,” Edward starts, with a downward twist of his lips as Bella listens intently. “But that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was watching my parents get sick, and die before I did.”

He sees the horror in Bella’s eyes, and remembers the feeling vividly as if it were yesterday. Lying in the hospital bed with his mother in the other bed, watching her take her last breaths.

“I held her hand from my bed on one side, and Carlisle held her hand from the other side,” Edward says distantly, playing out the memory in his head. “She...couldn’t even lift her head off her pillow anymore.”

Elizabeth’s eyes had shone brightly with unshed tears as she had gazed back at Edward, her smile still gentle just for him.

“She, um, she told me that she loved me,” he says, swallowing around the lump around his throat, as tears slowly slide down Bella’s cheeks, her eyes never leaving his. “And then she exchanged a nod with Carlisle. And then she died.”

“Oh, Edward. I’m so sorry,” Bella sighs. She moves so that she’s sitting next to him, leaning her head against his chest. Edward wraps an arm around her, taking comfort in the sound of her heartbeat, her life.

“I found out after my transition that Carlisle had promised my mother that he would do absolutely anything to save me. So he decided to turn me into a vampire.”

God, Edward remembers the rage that had coursed through his veins once he’d understood that he would be allowed to continue to exist. Without his parents.

“Once my mind and body had settled into my new existence, all I remember is feeling infuriated at Carlisle for... _damning_ me to an eternal life. I...I had been fully ready to die alongside my family.”

This is the first time he’s ever said that aloud, Edward thinks sadly. It’s fitting that Bella be the only one to know that about him.

“It took me a very long time to reconcile the fact that Carlisle only acted on my mother’s wishes. But once I did, I figured I may as well live everyday in her memory. It hasn’t been easy, of course. But then Carlisle met Esme. And then Rosalie, who met Emmett. And then we found Alice and Jasper. And then one day, I had a new family.”

Edward smiles as Bella gives a watery laugh. He rubs her back soothingly as she wipes her tears away. “Thank you for telling me that.”

“Of course,” he says, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “I want you to know everything about me. Not just the good parts, but all of it.”

“And I want you to know everything about me,” Bella replies. “My hopes, my dreams, my fears, my failures. All of it.”

She twines their fingers together, and looking at their hands interlocked like that, Edward can’t help but think…

“We were meant to be,” he says softly, and Bella nods in agreement with him. “An impossible series of events ended up leading us to each other.”

“If Carlisle hadn’t decided to turn you…”

“If you hadn’t decided to move to Forks…”

“We may never have met,” Edward finishes with a shake of his head. He can’t even think about that possibility.

“Maybe not in this lifetime,” Bella agrees, before adding, “But I think that maybe we would have met in some other lifetime.”

“What, like reincarnation?”

“Maybe. Or, just in general, in another lifetime or universe, if there’s a you and there’s a me, I think we would find each other one way or another.”

It’s amazing how such simple yet poignant words can have such an impact, Edward thinks. Her heartbeat never wavered, which means she believes she spoke absolute truth. Bella believes what she said with all of her heart. And Edward believes it as well.

“I love you, Bella Swan,” Edward finally confesses at 3 am while sitting on a bathroom floor. He just wasn’t able to hold it in any longer, to not let her know how he feels.

Bella immediately turns her face up to his, and with a sweet smile says, “I love you too, Edward Cullen.”


	9. girl reunites with wolf-boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> girl reunites with wolf boy! (and a few others)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for references to underage drinking.
> 
> also, i don't think it's been made fairly obvious, but most of the characters have been aged up. where in the original Twilight, SM had Bella aged at around 15, i think? here, Bella and her human peers are in the 16-17 range. Bella herself is 17 currently.

“Hi!” Bella says cheerfully when her FaceTime connects and Edward’s face pops up on her phone. He grins and waves back, shaking snow out of his hair, and that’s when Bella sees…

“Are you sitting in a snowbank?” she asks amusedly, as next to her Angela looks over with a raised brow and a small amused smile.

“It’s refreshing,” Edward quips, and Bella snorts.

“Hi, Edward,” Angela chimes in, leaning in so that he can see her. “You’re going to get sick if you stay out there for long.”

“Hey, Angela. And thank you for your concern, I think I’ll take my chances, though,” he replies with a wink at Bella, who just shakes her head at him. “Are you in your car?”

“Yeah! We’re outside Jessica’s house, waiting for her and Lauren before we swing by and pick up Tyler, Mike, and Eric.”

“And how exactly are you going to fit seven people in your car?” Edward asks curiously, and Bella grins.

“I guess they’ll just have to sit on each other’s laps,” she says cheerfully, and out of the corner of her eye watches Angela start to turn red. “I’m sure if Angie asks nicely, she can share a seat with Eric.”

“ _Bella!_ ” Angela gasps, and Bella laughs. Ever since Angela had confided to Bella her crush on Eric, Bella had been relentless in trying to set them up. Bella’s goal was to try and get one of them to ask the other to go to Prom, and one way or another it _would_ happen.

“Or don’t. I mean, I’m sure Lauren or Jessica would be happy to take your place,” she says, with a cheeky smile to Angela, who just sticks her tongue out at Bella. They both are fully aware that both girls aren’t interested in him at all, but that doesn’t stop Angela from lightly yanking on a piece of Bella’s hair in retaliation.

“Behave, my Bella,” Edward says with a grin, and Bella smiles back at him.

“How’s Alaska?” she asks him.

“Great! I’ve been fielding questions left and right about you from everyone here, so I ended up having to make my escape,” he replies with a shrug, and Bella laughs.

Edward’s been gone almost a week, when the Cullen clan had gone to visit “family” up in Alaska. Edward had explained that the clan they were visiting were the only other ones that drank animal blood like they did. They considered each other family, and the clans visit each other often. This time, it was the Cullen’s turn to head up north to go visit.

“Well try not to get eaten by a polar bear, or something,” Bella says, exchanging an amused look with him at the inside joke.

“I’ll do my best. Where are you guys headed, anyway?”

“Well apparently, Tyler and Lauren got invited to some beach party down at La Push, as if it’s not about to start snowing,” Bella replies with an eye roll. “But we had nothing better to do, so we’re tagging along. And besides, I’ve been meaning to go down and visit anyways.”

“You’re going to the reservation?” Edward asks sharply, and Bella furrows her brow in confusion. All traces of amusement are gone from his face, and she can see worry in his eyes.

“Yeah, why?”

“I—,” Edward cuts himself off in frustration and nods to the side, and Bella gets it. It’s a vampire thing, something he can’t say while Angela is listening. “Just...be careful, okay? And, please call me if anything happens?”

“Um, okay, sure,” Bella says slowly, heart starting to race. But before she can try and question him further, she spots the other girls heading towards the car. “Listen, I’ll call you later okay?”

“Yeah, please,” Edward says. “I love you, my Bella.”

“I love you, my Edward,” she replies, blowing him a kiss before disconnecting the call.

 

* * *

 

“This looks like the right place,” Bella says as she drives onto the beach.

“How can you tell?”

“The bonfire and cases of beer are a dead giveaway,” Bella says with a sly smirk. There are a bunch of high schoolers already there, from both La Push and Forks High. She can hear music from other cars blasting across the beach.

Everyone manages to disentangle themselves enough to get out of her car and walk over to the party. Even with Edward’s warning and the cold wind blowing, Bella can’t help but start to relax. There has to be about fifty people on the beach; whatever Edward’s worried about (and god, Bella hopes that it’s not other, non-vegetarian vampires), she doesn’t think anything bad would happen. And worst comes to worst, she has Charlie on speed dial. She knows he’d bring down the entire force in a heartbeat if there was any hint of danger.

“Oh hey, you guys made it!” someone from the crowd spots them, and a cheer goes up. Bella’s friends disperse into the party, as she suddenly finds a beer pressed into her hand.

“Thanks!” She calls out, raising the bottle up to the crowd. Beside her, Angela fidgets.

“You alright?” Bella asks her, and Angela nods.

“Yeah. Parties just aren’t really my...thing.”

“I get that. Just, relax. Don’t think too much. If you wanna drink, then drink, but if not then don’t stress. I have water bottles in my car. Just have fun,” Bella tells her with an easy smile, and Angela smiles back.

Bella grabs Angela’s hand and pushes her way through the crowd, swaying to the beat of the music. It’s been a long time since her last party, back in Phoenix. But all parties are basically the same; free food, free booze, and music pounding so loud that you can feel it in your bones.

Bella leads Angela to the center of the crowd, closer to the giant ass bonfire that they have set up. The beer isn’t exactly warming her up, and even in the crowd of dancing bodies it’s still cold.

“Holy shit, Swan, is that you?” A voice booms out over the noisy crowd, and Bella’s jaw drops.

“No fucking way,” she says in disbelief, craning her neck until she spots…

“Oh my god, Jacob Black?!” Bella calls out, spotting her old friend as he weaves his way through the crowd to her. The last time she’d seen him, they were 12 years old. The Jacob that Bella remembers had been scrawny as all hell, and shorter than her too. Now though…

“Holy shit, you got sexy!” Bella cries with a laugh as Jacob finally reaches them and sweeps Bella up in a bear hug. She throws her arms around him and hugs him back just as fiercely. Jacob had been one of the absolute best parts of staying in Forks during her summers. He’d always been ready to join her in whatever trouble that they could cook up together, to the exasperation of their families. They’d stay joined at the hip from June to August since they were both toddlers. But, as Bella had decided to start staying in Phoenix for her summers and have Charlie visit her there, she and Jacob had lost touch.

When they finally separate, Jacob’s nose is wrinkled and he has a small frown on his face.

“What?” she asks him.

“Nothing, you just...smell weird,” he admits with a shrug, and Bella punches his arm.

“Asshole. I take back the ‘sexy’ comment then, you’re still ugly.”

“And you’re still mean as fuck,” he counters, and Bella laughs. Suddenly, she feels a discreet tug on the sleeve of her coat, and remembers that Angela’s standing right behind her.

“Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry! Angela, meet Jacob; Jacob, this is Angela,” Bella says hastily as the two shake hands and exchange greetings. “I basically grew up on the reservation with these guys. Charlie would drop me off with family friends, and I’d just hang out with Jacob all summer.”

“Honestly, I think Charlie just dumped you on us to give himself a break,” Jacob says lazily, and Bella punches his arm again.

“You’re so violent now,” Jacob whines, rubbing his arm in mock-pain as Bella laughs. “C’mon, let me introduce you to some people.”

Bella and Angela follow Jacob out of the throng of dancers and to a section where some other people are lounging around on the beds of pickup trucks full of cushions and blankets, all chatting. She spots Eric and Tyler chatting up a few of the La Push kids, and Bella nudges Angela discreetly.

“Go get your mans, girl,” Bella says with a wink, and Angela starts to blush.

“I don’t know what to say!”

“Just be casual! You’re not going to ask him out or anything like that. Just find something in common to talk about and go from there. You’ve known him since kindergarten, there has to be _something_ you know about him.”

“Well...I mean, I know he’s into drawing,” Angela says hesitantly. “And he’s really talented.”

“There you go!” Bella says with a smile. “Talk to him about that. It’s all about taking that first step. After that, it gets easier.”

“Okay...okay,” Angela says, taking a deep breath. Both Bella and Jacob, who had been listening to their conversation, give her a thumbs up and big grins before sending her off to talk to Eric.

“They look cute together,” Jacob comments off-handedly to Bella as they watch Angela start to talk to Eric. Bella nods in agreement; they’re both smiling at each other and getting more relaxed by the minute.

“They do. So what’s new with you? We have a fair amount of catching up to do,” Bella says as they continue walking over to Jacob’s friends, Jacob swinging an arm around her shoulders. Bella is instantly transported back to her childhood, walking just like this through the woods with Jacob.

“I’ve been good; it’s just me and Dad nowadays,” Jacob says breezily, and Bella raises a questioning brow at him. “‘Becca got married and moved to Hawaii and is living her best life, and Rachel’s at NYU doing a pre-Med program.”

“Oh wow!” Bella says, impressed. She remembers Jacob’s older sisters as warm and caring, even after their mother’s death. “And Uncle Billy?”

“I swear, that man is going to outlive all of us,” Jacob says with a laugh and a shake of his head. “He’s in a wheelchair now. Diabetes. But he’s just as strong as ever.”

Bella can hear the pride in Jacob’s voice, speaking about his family. They’ve always been close, especially with him and his dad. Billy Black had always welcomed Bella into their house with open arms and a warm smile. He and Charlie go waaaay back, to like prehistoric times, and Bella’s always seen him as an honorary uncle.

“I’m glad; I swear, I’ve been meaning to visit you guys since I moved here,” Bella replies. “Life has just been...kind of hectic.”

“B, we live in one of the most boring places in the US,” Jacob says with a roll of his eyes, falling back to using Bella’s old nickname, and she laughs. “How hectic could your life possibly be?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting to fall in love when I got here,” Bella admits with a sheepish smile and a blush, and Jacob gives her his biggest shit-eating grin.

“Excellent! I wanna hear allll about this guy.”

“And you will, promise! I think you guys would get along!” Bella says cheerfully. Honestly, nothing would make her happier than introducing the love of her life to one of her closest childhood friends and having them be friends.

“Oh, and also,” Bella continues as she can’t keep the giant grin off her face. “I’m gonna be a big sister.”

“What?! No way, congrats!” Jacob cries happily, before stopping suddenly. “Wait, Charlie…?”

“No, no, my mom and my step-dad,” Bella laughs. “As far as I know, Charlie hasn’t even been dating anyone.”

“Okay, you had me going there for a second,” Jacob says, putting his hand on his chest in mock-relief, and Bella bursts into laughter.

“Oh, hey!” Jacob suddenly calls out, and Bella spots a group of kids from the reservation. She vaguely recognizes a couple of the guys as kids that used to join her and Jacob sometimes on their adventures in the woods. “Look who I found!”

“Oh hey, Bella right?” one of the guys says, reaching out his hand for a high five, and Bella finally remembers his name.

“Yeah! Embry? And you’re Quil, yeah?” she asks both boys, and getting affirmatives in return. “Good to see you guys again! Jesus, puberty hit all of you like a ton of bricks.”

The two boys are now just as built as Jacob, and handsome as hell. Embry and Quil laugh and make room for her to sit on one of the pickup beds.

“This is Leah, and her brother Seth,” Jacob introduces her to the other two unknowns. “This is Bella, I’ve known her since we were in diapers.”

Leah is _stunning_ , with high cheekbones and light brown eyes and shiny black hair hanging down to her waist. Seth is just as beautiful as his sister, with the same eyes and cheekbones, and a leaner but still muscular body. Seth smiles cheerfully and leans over to shake her hand, and Leah lifts her beer bottle in greeting with a nod in acknowledgement, which Bella returns.

“Why is everyone in this town so beautiful?” Bella sighs, and the others chuckle. She watches as Jacob maneuvers himself to sit next to Seth...and _hello there_. Bella watches as Jacob sits entirely too close to Seth, pressed together from shoulder to knees. Seth doesn’t seem to mind, honestly. In fact, he shifts so that the arm pressing against Jacob’s side is now behind him, still keeping him close.

Bella glances at Leah to see the other girl’s reaction, only see her looking at the two boys with an amused grin hiding behind her beer bottle. So clearly, Bella wasn’t the only one seeing things.

“So what brings you back to Forks, Bella?” Quil asks her, pulling her attention back, and Bella finds herself telling them about her decision to move to Forks and her journey here.

“You drove almost 24 hours on your own? Lord,” Leah says with wide eyes, and Bella can see the newfound respect in her eyes.

“It wasn’t easy,” Bella admits with a shrug. “But I have an unhealthy attachment to my Jeep, and leaving her behind was not an option.”

“Amen,” Jacob says, and everyone around her groans.

“Please don’t encourage him,” Embry mutters, and Bella looks at Jacob with a question in her eyes.

“They’re just haters ‘cause my beautiful truck is better than anything they’ll ever own,” Jacob crows, and Quil actually covers his face with his hand in embarrassment.

“Is it really that bad?” she asks, and Leah snorts.

“You can hear that monstrosity coming from a mile away,” she says. “And it’s the ugliest shade of red I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“You’ve just blind to beauty,” Jacob shoots at her.

“Boy, I will throw this bottle at you, don’t tempt me,” Leah warns with a growl, holding up her beer bottle threateningly. Bella’s not entirely sure if Leah’s serious or not, when Seth calmly reaches over to pluck the bottle from Leah’s hands to finish off the beer smoothly. Leah just rolls her eyes before settling back.

Bella can tell they’re a lively bunch, as they talk over one another and tell Bella some of the most ridiculous stories she’s ever heard, but that they all insist are true. She spends the night doubled over in laughter, wiping tears from her eyes. Jacob’s warm smile practically illuminates the night, and the others seem to embrace her into their little friend group seamlessly.

The night ends with Jacob plucking Bella’s phone out of her hands to put in his number, and then passing the phone around for everyone else to do the same. They add her to their group chat, and even though it’s such a small and insignificant detail, it still warms Bella up from the inside out. She’s never really been part of a group of close friends before. Yeah, Angie is still one of her closest friends here in Forks, and of course Bella is friends with Edward’s siblings, but it’s not quite the same. And as for Jessica and Mike and the others, Bella does hang out with them, but their friendship is still more of an acquaintance. Bella doesn’t go out of her way to hang out with them. It was the same thing back in Phoenix, too. Bella had friends, but never anyone that she fit in with so _seamlessly_ , like she’s always belonged, at least not until now.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, I’m home! Still awake?” Bella calls out as she steps foot into her home. She pulls off her coat and hangs it up before making her way into the living room, where Charlie is relaxing in his recliner as he watches an old baseball game.

“Yeah; I just got home about a half hour ago. How was the party?”

“Great! Surprised I didn’t freeze to death,” she replies, dropping a quick kiss on his head before settling into the couch.

“Me too,” Charlie replies with an amused chuckle.

“How was your shift?”

“Pretty quiet, thankfully,” Charlie says. “No mass murderers running around as far as I know.”

“Always a good thing,” Bella smiles. “Oh hey, you won’t believe who I ran into tonight.”

“Who?”

“Jacob Black.”

“What? Really?” Charlie looks over at her with surprise on his face. “I haven’t seen that kid in a while. He still tiny as ever?”

“Hell no,” Bella says with a shake of her head. “He’s, like, _huge_. He’s got biceps the size of my head now.”

“No kidding,” Charlie replies with a chuckle. “You get his number?”

“Yeah, his and a few others from the reservation. He told me to tell you that they’re hosting Christmas dinner at his place with some of the other families, and that we’re now invited too,” Bella tells him, and she watches as Charlie lights up, a pleased smile crossing his face.

“I haven’t seen Billy in ages. I guess it’d be good to catch up with him. Who else is gonna be there?”

“Uhh, I don’t know if you remember Embry Call and Quil Ateara?”

“I remember that the four of you almost destroyed Billy’s house once,” Charlie says with a smirk, and Bella snorts.

“I plead the fifth on that one, Chief. So, them and their families; plus, the Clearwaters. I met the kids, Seth and Leah, today too.”

Bella glances over at Charlie, and to her surprise, she notices that he’s gone a little red at the mention of the Clearwaters.

“Do you know them?” she asks him slowly with a raised brow.

“Uh, just through interactions with Billy and all,” Charlie mumbles, and _okay_ , he’s definitely avoiding looking at Bella. She debates pressing him about it for a second, before deciding to let it go. If Charlie has something he wants to tell her, he’ll do it when he’s ready.

“If you say so. Not sure who else’ll be there, but I’m assuming its a few of the other families there too,” Bella says with a shrug. “I wouldn’t mind spending Christmas with them, if you don’t mind.”

“You weren’t going to try and spend Christmas with Edward?” Charlie asks her with a raised brow, and Bella smiles.

“Mm, we’ll see each other that day, of course, but we were never planning on doing dinner or anything like that.”

Seeing Edward get sick after the Thanksgiving dinner like that, Bella had promised herself that she would never put him in that position again, no matter what Edward said.

“Alright, well, then I guess we know what we’re doing for Christmas,” Charlie says with a warm smile, and Bella beams at him.

“Excellent! I’ll let Jacob know that we’re going, too.”

Bella gets up from the couch, and with a kiss goodnight to Charlie, heads upstairs to get ready for bed; Edward’s earlier warning all but forgotten.


	10. boy reunites with girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boy returns home from his trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning for underage sex. it's not explicit, by any means, but it is very clearly a sex scene, so do with that what you will. the story's rating has been bumped up accordingly.

The afternoon that the Cullens are set to leave the Denali coven and head back home dawns with Emmett, Kate, Eleazar, Carmen, and Alice competing to build the best snowman.

“We’re surrounded by children,” Rosalie sighs into her hands, and Edward just snickers at her.

“At least they’re talented children,” Jasper quips. Edward has to agree, they’re doing pretty well so far, but he thinks he likes Alice’s snowman the best.

They’re on the front lawn of the Denali mansion, the sun high and bright in the clear sky. The snow and their skin shine brilliantly in the sunlight.

Behind them, Carlisle, Esme, Tanya, and Irina step outside to join them. Blessedly, Rosalie and Jasper shift so that they stand on either side of Edward, Jasper with his arm flung around Edward’s neck from his left side, and Rosalie wrapping herself around Edward’s arm on his right. Irina stands a respectful distance away from the trio, and Edward relaxes.

He’s known for a long time about the crush that Irina has carried for him. He had let her down gently back when both covens had been living together, but that hadn’t stopped Edward from hearing her thoughts about him, or stopped Irina from trying to come on to him.

And of course, it hadn’t helped that within two minutes of stepping foot inside the mansion at the beginning of their visit, Emmett had taken it upon himself to announce it to the whole house that Edward had a human girlfriend.

(But it had been hilarious to watch Rosalie put the fear of God into Emmett for his little stunt.)

Since then, Irina’s thoughts about Edward had become almost unbearable. Jasper had also confided to Edward that Irina’s emotions were stressing him out as well. Things finally came to a head one evening, when Edward heard an especially nasty thought about Bella, and he’d snapped.

 _“I don’t give a shit what you think about me,” Edward had snarled to a shocked Irina. “But Bella is_ off limits _. Do we understand each other?”_

_“Carlisle! Tanya! Do something!” Irina had gestured towards Edward, but had been met with resolute gazes from both heads of covens._

_“My apologies, Irina, but Edward is right,” Carlisle had said, with Tanya nodding her agreement alongside him. “We consider Bella as family. An insult to her is an insult to all of us.”_

_“You’re kidding me! She’s just a human!” Irina had cried, looking around to the rest of them, but found no sympathy with anyone. “Even you, Rosalie?!”_

_Rosalie had scoffed, flipping her hair back. “At least Bella doesn’t whine like a little bitch.”_

_“Rosalie,” Esme had said warningly. “We are guests here, remember.”_

_“She’s right though, Irina,” Kate had spoken up. “You need to calm down, you’re embarrassing yourself.”_

Ever since then, Irina had taken to avoiding Edward entirely, and Edward had taken to joining Jasper, Emmett, Kate, and Eleazer on frequent “hunting” trips. They had taken the trips as an excuse to run loose and have fun, even engaging in snowball fights.

“Thank you as always for your hospitality,” Carlisle says to Tanya, and Tanya responds with a big grin.

“Of course, Carlisle. You all are family, after all.”

Tanya steps over to say her farewells to them. Edward lets himself be pulled into a group hug with his cousin and his siblings, laughing as he goes.

“May you all have a safe trip home. And Edward, peace and blessings to you and your mate,” Tanya says with a grin as she pulls away, and Edward looks down shyly, Rosalie and Jasper snickering at his sides.

“We’re, uh, not quite there yet…”

“Yes, you are,” both Jasper and Rosalie say in unison, and Edward covers his face with his hand. It’s the first time that someone has referred to Bella as his ‘mate’ and not his ‘girlfriend’, and it has Edward feeling a mix of emotions.

“I win!”

The group turns to see Emmett pumping his arm up and down, and the others either rolling their eyes or laughing along with him.

“It’s a tie between Alice and Carmen,” Edward says decisively, and has others nodding as well. “Emmett, has anyone ever actually taught you how to make a snowman?”

“Rude,” Emmett says, sticking his tongue out. “Babe, you think mine’s the best, right?”

“I’m pretty sure somewhere in our wedding vows there was something about not lying to each other,” Rosalie says with a shrug.

“Harsh, babe. It’s not that bad.”

“You literally used the carrot as the snowman’s dick.”

“It’s called taking creative liberties!”

Rosalie and Emmett continue bickering, as Alice and Carmen beam at being named joint winners. Edward rolls his eyes fondly at his siblings, when he notices out of the corner of his eye Irina, standing hesitantly just there.

 _Give her a chance to say her piece, Edward_ , he hears Carlisle’s thought, and Edward sighs, before turning to face Irina. She looks contrite, at least, so Edward nods to acknowledge her.

“I’m sorry about my behavior this week, Edward,” Irina says with a downward twist of her mouth and slumped shoulders. “It was rude, and unacceptable of me to take advantage of your gift such as I did. I hope you can forgive me.”

Judging from her thoughts, Edward can tell she’s serious, and that her feelings of regret and shame are genuine. Edward sighs again, and runs his hand through his hair.

“I appreciate your apology, Irina,” Edward finally says. “It means a lot to me. We’ve been friends for a very long time, and I would hate to lose that.”

He watches Irina carefully, and sees when she gets the double meaning behind his words.

“I understand,” Irina says slowly. “I won’t put our friendship in jeopardy like that again.”

“I appreciate that,” Edward says, and offers Irina the first warm smile since before their falling out. She smiles back, clearly relieved, and the tension between them is finally broken.

“I did want to...mention something to you, that I think you should keep a watch for,” Irina says after a moment. It’s just the two of them standing side by side now; Emmett and Rosalie’s argument had dissolved into another snowball fight as they’d roped the others around them into opposing teams, and they’re watching as snow goes flying all over the place.

“What is it?”

“I’ve been hearing rumors about a group of nomads,” Irina starts. “They’re not part of any coven, as far as I understand. I heard they’re making their way to the west coast.”

Edward frowns. It’s extremely rare that they run into other, non-vegetarian vampires. Most everyone of their kind knows about the Olympic Coven and their preferred lifestyle, and tend to avoid them.

Before, he would have acknowledged the information, but ultimately he wouldn’t have paid it that much attention. If other vampires outside of their coven made contact with them, they usually only dealt with Carlisle and Esme. Now though…

“All I’m saying is, be careful with that mate of yours,” Irina murmurs, and Edward’s jaw clenches tightly.

“Do you know who they are?”

“No, unfortunately, no one that I have personally met,” Irina says regretfully. “All I know is that they’re...more bloodthirsty, than our kind usually are.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Edward murmurs under his breath. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about, what with Bella’s new friends at the reservation. And due to the secrecy clause in their treaty with the werewolves, he wasn’t allowed to tell Bella _exactly_ what had him worried. He just had to pray that she would figure it out on her own, the same as she’d done with him.

“I’m sorry to burden you with this, but I honestly thought you should know,” Irina says, and Edward knows that she is genuine.

“Thank you, Irina, for thinking of Bella’s safety,” Edward says to her with a small smile. Honestly, this conversation did far much more to repair their relationship than her earlier apology. Irina smiles back, before tentatively reaching over to squeeze his shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Edward, and so will she. You have your family, and that includes us. If you need us, just call.”

 

* * *

 

They’re finally close enough to Forks that Edward, with a cheerful wave of his hand to the rest of his family, breaks off from them to head to Bella’s house.

 _Elated_ doesn’t even begin to describe the rising feeling of joy Edward feels as each step takes him closer to his beloved. It’s only been two weeks since they were together in person, but it was a very long two weeks. Even with the everyday Facetime calls and constant texting back and forth, Edward had still missed Bella’s presence at his side like a hole in his chest.

It's just past 11 pm by the time Edward gets to her house. Bella’s Jeep is the only one in the driveway, which means that the Chief is working the overnight shift tonight. All the lights are off in her house, but he can hear Bella still awake, probably watching a show on her phone.

Edward quickly scales her side of the house and slides her window open. “You had better not be watching Brooklyn Nine Nine, you promised you wouldn’t watch another episode until I got back.”

Bella snorts from her place under her covers, her head popping out from under the bulk. Her hair is in a messy top bun and she’s wearing one of his shirts, one with a wide collar that slides down past her shoulder. Edward narrows his eyes suspiciously at Bella, who gives him an all-too innocent grin. She knows exactly how that particular look drives him insane.

“Relax, I’m not, our binging sessions are sacred,” Bella replies breezily, as Edward strips off his shirt and his sweatpants and dives under Bella’s covers.

It had taken Bella and Edward a few times of trial and error to see how they could keep Bella warm while they were both also naked. Finally, they’d figured it out with two heavy, heated blankets mixed in with her regular blankets, and they had a couple of space heaters in her room as back-up.

“Welcome home,” Bella says lowly with a wicked grin, as she wraps her legs around Edward’s waist and he realizes delightfully that she _only_ has his shirt on and nothing else.

“You know, all you’re doing,” Edward says between laying searing kisses from her mouth to her stomach, after having divested her of his shirt. “Is convincing me that I need to leave town more often.”

“Mm, that’s not—ah!— what I was _exactly_ going for,” Bella replies, maneuvering them so that she’s on top. “It’s more to remind you of what you missed while you were gone.”

Edward thinks she does a pretty good job of that, and it’s not long before Bella’s opening a condom wrapper with slightly shaking fingers, a panting and whining Edward underneath her.

“Hurry up,” Edward hisses impatiently, and Bella swats him with her hand.

“Just for that, I’m going slower.”

“Please don’t,” Edward pleads, as Bella moves her hips in a way that has him arching his back off the bed. “I’m sorry, I’ll be good.”

“You had better be,” Bella mutters, smiling triumphantly as she finally gets it open and slides it onto him. “You’re not the only one who suffered these last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, I missed you too,” Edward says with a gasp and a moan, as Bella slides home and stars explode behind his eyes.

But _God_ , he loves this, loves seeing Bella like this. She holds absolute power over him, and he is hers to command. Edward understands now why wars are fought over lovers; personally, he’d fight armies to the death for Bella, no questions asked.

He tells her as much, after, when they’re both splayed out over each other in a panting, giggling heap. Edward gently lets Bella’s hair loose so he can run his fingers through her hair. Bella sighs happily, dropping a kiss on his shoulder as thanks.

“Same here,” she says in response, with a cheeky grin. “I’d totally go Khaleesi on someone’s ass for you.”

“I think I’d pay to see that,” Edward says with a laugh. He takes care to wrap one of the heated blankets around her, tucking it so that it serves as a barrier between them. Bella yawns and snuggles closer to Edward, and he wraps an arm around her.

“I love you more than anything,” Edward murmurs into Bella’s hair, and she smiles.

“I love you more than pancakes,” she says back, and Edward grins. He loves playing this game.

“I love you more than books.”

“I love you more than my car.”

“I love you more than _my_ car.”

“I love you more than my bed.”

“I love you more than my house.”

“I love you more than _pizza_.”

“That’s a lot,” Edward chuckles. “I love you more than Jake loves Amy.”

“Oh, now _that’s_ a lot,” Bella grins. “I love you more than Dany loved Drogo.”

“I love you more than Mike loves Eleven.”

“I love you more than the stars in the sky,” Bella sighs through another yawn, and Edward can tell that she’s falling asleep.

“I love you more than the universe itself,” Edward murmurs, wholeheartedly meaning every word.

“I love you...with my whole heart,” Bella mumbles quietly before she falls asleep. And Edward’s heart _aches_ for this beautiful, bright woman in his arms. And for what feels like the millionth time, Edward thanks every deity he can think of for being blessed enough to have earned a place in Bella’s heart.

 

* * *

 

“I hate that you can skip school for two weeks and still ace all of your exams,” Bella grumbles to Edward the next day in school, as she examines the results of both of their history tests.

Edward huffs a quiet laugh at her side. “You got a 90 though.”

“But you got 100,” Bella pouts, and Edward laughs again, swinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

“To be fair, I’ve lived through a fair portion of US History,” Edward can’t help but point out, and Bella rolls her eyes playfully at him.

“Yeah, Bells, you’re getting some prehistoric dick,” Emmett intejects cheerfully, as he and Alice join them in the hallway. The school day is done, and they’re heading towards the parking lot alongside the other students.

“Prehistoric dick is still good dick,” Bella deadpans with a smirk, and Emmett cheers and gives her a high five.

“God help me,” Edward mutters, burying his face in his hand as Alice snickers behind her hand. Bella laughs and intertwines their hands together, and Edward suddenly doesn’t care about any jokes made at his expense. It just means that Bella and his siblings are getting along, which is better than he could ever have dreamed of.

“Where are the others?” Bella asks Alice as they step outside onto the school grounds. Bella lets go of Edward’s hand to zip up her coat against the flurries falling from the sky.

“We usually skip P.E., and that was Jasper’s and Rose’s last class of the day,” Alice replies with a shrug. “They should be home by now.”

“Oh hey, are you coming to our place tonight, by the way?” Emmett asks Bella suddenly. “No one else ever likes to play video games with me anymore.”

“That’s ‘cause you get way too fucking competitive, Em,” Alice says with a roll of her eyes, Edward nodding alongside her.

“It’s not my fault you’re all weaklings,” Emmett says with a sniff, and Bella snorts.

“Rain check, Em. I already have plans for tonight,” Bella says with an apologetic shrug.

“Ooh, more prehistoric dick?”

“ _Shut it, Emmett_ ,” Edward hisses with a slap to the back of Emmett’s head. His brother just frowns and sticks his tongue out at Edward.

“Shockingly, no,” Bella says easily with a laugh. “Actually, I’m hanging out at the reservation tonight.”

As if on cue, Emmett and Alice’s eyes flicker up to meet Edward’s, and Edward frowns. Suddenly, Bella sighs heavily.

“Alright, enough. Emergency meeting in Edward’s car. Right now,” she says sharply, and the others blink in surprise at her.

“Uh, what?”

Bella starts shepherding the three vampires towards the back of the lot, where Edward’s car is parked. Edward and his siblings let themselves be pushed into his car, himself in the driver’s seat, Bella in the passenger seat, and Emmett and Alice in the back.

“Alright, spill. What the hell is your guys’ problem with the reservation?” Bella asks, crossing her arms across her chest.

 _Fuck_. Edward pinches the bridge of his nose as Emmett and Alice share a worried look.

“It’s complicated…” Edward begins, and Bella narrows her eyes at him dangerously.

“Uncomplicate it. Now.”

“I--look, I can’t tell you,” Edward says helplessly, and that is clearly the wrong thing to say. He’s never actually seen Bella angry before, especially not at _him_. It’s not a pleasant feeling, to say the least.

“Can’t, or _won’t_?”

“ _Can’t_ ,” he stresses. “Believe me, if I could be completely honest about this, I would. But we have an agreement that we can’t break.”

“Jesus fuckin’ christ,” Bella mutters, blowing out a sharp breath. “Well, can you at least tell me if I’m in danger, at the reservation? More vampires?”

“No vampires,” Alice says quickly. “And, well. I don’t _think_ you’re in any danger at the reservation.”

“That’s reassuring,” Bella says sarcastically. “Well if you don’t think that I’m in danger, then what the hell is the problem?!”

“It’s--,” Edward starts, before cutting himself off. Honestly, he might be about to breach the treaty but at this point, fuck it. Bella’s more important.

“ _Edward_ ,” Alice hisses at him, and Emmett shoots him a look.

“It’s...similar...to our _situation_ ,” Edward finally says slowly, and Bella’s brow furrows. He prays that she understands enough in that sentence to start to put the pieces together. Thankfully, she doesn’t keep firing questions at them. She sits back and chews on her bottom lip, mulling over Edward’s statement.

 _You might have said too much, bro_. Emmett’s thought comes through, and Edward shakes his head minutely at Emmett.

“We can’t tell you anything else,” Alice murmurs suddenly, and the boys look over at her. “But... _they_ don’t have the same restriction.”

Holy shit, Alice just found them a loophole. Bella looks over at Alice sharply.

“What do you mean?”

Edward understands what Alice is saying, and god bless her for it. “Look, just...ask your friends about us, about our family,” he says quickly. “If they don’t know us, great! Then there’s nothing to worry about. If they do...well. They’ll let you know what they think about us.”

Bella stares at the three of them silently for a moment, before slowly burying her head in her hands. “This is what I get for loving a vampire, _honestly_.”

“I...I’m...sorry that you feel that way,” Edward says slowly, dread and fear suddenly running through his veins, because it sounds like Bella…“Is it, i mean, do you regret it? Falling in love with me?”

Bella’s head jerks up so fast, Edward can hear a bone pop within her. Emmett and Alice, meanwhile, are suddenly looking like they wish they were _anywhere_ but in this car.

“What? No! Of course not!” Bella frowns at him. “Just because I’m pissed and frustrated as hell, doesn’t mean that I love you any less. I understand that you can’t tell me anything else because of something that wasn’t your choice; that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. We just have issues and shit to work through. That’s what it means to be in a relationship.”

Bella sighs and slumps into the car seat, her earlier anger having seemingly dissipated. “Okay, look. I’ll talk to Jacob and the others. If it means I have to do some more sleuthing, then so be it, I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“We’re sorry it has to be that way, Bella,” Alice says softly, reaching over to gently take Bella’s hand in her own. “You know if there were any other way…”

“Yeah, I know,” Bella groans, but nonetheless squeezes Alice’s hand anyway. “Not your guys’ fault.”

Edward’s heart goes out to Bella; he hates that he won’t be able to help her with the _other_ supernatural world that she’s about to stumble into. He hopes desperately for her sake, that her friends turn out to be regular humans that don’t know a damn thing about the supernatural. But, knowing his luck, that won’t be the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my personal headcannon here is that when B and E had the sex talk, they couldn't really come up with any reason why they _shouldn't_ be using condoms sooo. also, we are DEFINITELY not having little renesmee's running around in this universe

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for all of the love and support, it means the world!


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